Quote:
Originally Posted by Dion
A great penalty killer with lots of speed  |
The question wasn't really "is Paul Byron a serviceable NHLer" though...it's more "does Paul Byron fit with our team". And with so many great forwards pushing for a spot, the roster is suddenly extremely full.
As you said, he's good on PK with good speed. He's also a possession driver, so I pencilled him in with Frolik and Backlund as the "Advanced Stat Darlings" line. He will, however, have to beat out other up-and-coming forwards like Poirier, Jooris, and Granlund as the addition of Frolik crosses out one of the top six spots. Granlund and Poirier will only continue to improve and those two are hard pressed to secure a NHL spot as is - if development camp is any indication, Poirier will have a very impressive main camp.
I think the combination of status quo with Hartley and still being more reliable than the other forwards will see Byron squeeze in and make the team this year. However, I feel certain that this is Byron's last year with the Flames, if he's not moved sooner.