[News] Flames put Byron and Raymond on waivers. UPD: Byron claimed by Habs

[Coach]

Originally Posted by flamesfan55

Seriously for how sad people are on here its like we lost Johnny and Monahan.

People will always be sad to lose hard working people, regardless of their spot on the roster or point totals.

[Bezer]

Yeah I'm fine with it. I'll miss his speed and heart but the missed opportunities on breakaways last year cemented it for me.

There other players in the organization that can replace him and where he stands on the depth chart....I probably couldn't of said that a few years ago so that's a testement to the good drafting we have had lately.

Anyways good luck to him and I hope he succeeds in Montreal.

[FFFLife]

Sucks to lose one of our highest energy players.... but our depth made him expendable, and I'm alright with that! Of course Montreal of all places claims him since hes under 5'-8" .... never understood their infatuation with short players

[Fire]

I liked how Byron played but the Flames have so much depth for the bottom two lines. Losing Byron won't make a difference in the Win Loss column.

[habernac]

uhhhh... what? This makes zero sense to me, Habs don't need anymore small forwards.

[GioforPM]

Takeaways:

a. These days, bona fide players good enough to play in the NHL might not make the Flames' roster.

b. Calgary = deeper than Montreal.

Honestly, there isn't one position on Calgary that doesn't have a surplus of NHL calibre players. No room for quality bottom d-men, bottom 6 forwards and they are carrying 3 goalies, with something having to give soon.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

I have read your posts and they are half-hearted at best.

"Hopefully he can get into a few games for Montreal". You don't sound very confident that Byron is a decent player.

You were in the minority that thought Byron was on Waivers because he was AHL bound. Which was completely false.

Finish the quote: "and does something with it"

I never mentioned getting sent down. I said that I hope Byron goes to an organisation where he can have a bigger role.

Now he might have that opportunity. I'm confident he is a decent player but not confident he can stick on a lineup all year. He's got to earn it.

You need to stop equating people being lukewarm on Byron with being negative. He's not good enough for a guaranteed spot here, doesn't make him bad. Now we're moving on!

[Stormchaser]

I'll miss this guy for sure but i'm happy for the extra room to promote from within.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Bezer

Yeah I'm fine with it. I'll miss his speed and heart but the missed opportunities on breakaways last year cemented it for me.

I don't get why people use the missed breakaways against him. He was practically the only Flame that actually generated breakaways last season on a regular basis. Sure better finish is nice but it's not like he was taking breakaways from other players as he was the fastest player on the team. Sure you won't see him get another opportunity to miss another breakaway but IMO I would take a breakaway chance with the possibility of scoring over no breakaway at all.

[polak]

Well I guess I'm one of the few that couldn't care less that he was taken and I'm happy for him personally as I'm sure it feels better to get claimed than to sit and worry about being sent down.

I'm sure goal posts around the western conference are breathing a sigh of relief. Enjoy the routine frustration Montreal fans!

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't get why people use the missed breakaways against him. He was practically the only Flame that actually generated breakaways last season on a regular basis. Sure better finish is nice but it's not like he was taking breakaways from other players as he was the fastest player on the team. Sure you won't see him get another opportunity to miss another breakaway but IMO I would take a breakaway chance with the possibility of scoring over no breakaway at all.

What's the difference between a missed breakaway and no breakaway?

[Strange Brew]

Sad to lose Byron for nothing and maybe more disappointed that Raymond is still skating with team. Byron is an effective player and wish we had gotten something for him. I agree we need to get bigger so it was hard to justify keeping him.

I admit I am disappointed with how camp has worked out so far with the inability to move any of our bad contracts and the goalie situation.

Time to start playing games that matter.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by JohnnySkittles

No, that would be CP. Outside of Flames info 99% of the posters here know nothing about any other team.

[Locke]

I liked Byron, I thought he was an effective forechecker and I loved his effort. You cant teach effort and he brought it every shift and that forces his teammates to up their effort level too.

But hey, he was a fringe guy here but now I believe the Habs have to keep him on the big club full time.

[Eric Vail]

I think it is good to see Byron moved out. He was 26 and wasn't likely getting any better. he weighs 153 pounds. I'd rather see a guy with more upside or more size in his spot and we have players that fit both descriptions.

Byron will do well in Montreal, I am sure.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Byron was a victim of our increased depth. Sad to see him go. But currently on the team ahead of him for a checking/energy role were Bouma, Bollig, Jones, Jooris, and Ferland (if he couldn't make his way on the scoring lines). Granlund and Hathaway also showed better than him in preseason IMO. Hathaway in addition makes Byron expendable long term as he also brings speed and a fantastic work ethic but is much larger and stronger than Byron.

The progression is happening. Our team continues to get harder to play against. We've added size on the backend in Hamilton. And basically have replaced the smaller Raymond and Byron from last year with guys like Frolik and Ferland. That is going to make a difference. We are harder to shut down. After the speed and skill of the top line we've got quite a lot of skill and jam. Ferland, Jooris, Bouma, Frolik, Bollig and Jones. That's actually a lot of guys that can win board battles and net front battles. Our bottom 3 lines may cycle and forecheck the opposition to death.

[GoJetsGo]

It's possible to regret we lost him, wish him well and still feel it's not a very big loss.

The very act he was put on waivers means this was viewed as an acceptable loss.

I like the player and some of what he brought, but we need to get younger and bigger and that's clearly already in the process of happening. We can only carry so many players on the roster, and this is likely going to happen with a few players that are generally well liked over the next few years.

Look at the players the Hawks were forced to part ways with in recent seasons.

It's all part of the game these days.

[Bandwagon In Flames]

Oh and we officially now have nothing to show for that Robyn Regehr trade.. Oh well.

[Poe969]

Why do people bring up the Regehr trade? WHo cares? The hawks have nothing to show from trading Dustin Byfuglien but they're doing ok...

[gvitaly]

That's too bad on losing Byron. I thought he was really good playing in situations like 4 on 4. Also, I feel that he provided a spark using his play in some of the comebacks last year. The relentless forecheck and him going to the corners despite his size seemed to motivate both the fans and his teammates. However, once he stopped converting on his breakaways, he became the 13th or 14th forward on this team. With the additions of Frolik, Bennett and Ferland to the forward ranks this year, there simply wasn't the space in the forward ranks.

I wish him best of luck in Montreal, and hopefully he takes full advantage of that opportunity.

[SuperMatt18]

And Regehr is retired.