Mark Bergevin took a calculated risk the day after his 2-1 win over Maple Leaves in Toronto. The Canadians General Manager chose to put the name Paul Byron in the concessions.
At first glance, this maneuver may seem surprising. Byron, 31, wears an “A” sign on his shirt and is in the captaincy.
Used on the winger in the fourth streak and in the shortcuts since the start of the season, Byron no longer plays such a dominant role on the ice.
Only three passes
In 14 games this season, the French-Ontario has only had three assists, and his average playing time (12:36) has decreased by nearly two minutes compared to the previous two seasons.
Byron watched a match from Press Bridge last Wednesday when the Maple Leafs team visited the Bell Center. Claude Julian had preferred Corrie Berry to him.
A matter of money
By putting Byron on compromises, Bergvin made a sporting choice. With a salary of 3.4 million for this year, but also the next two seasons, Byron is not very attractive to any of the other 30 teams in the NHL.
“When you put a man on concessions, anything can happen,” Bergevin said on January 3, when the camp opened. With a salary cap, it’s easy to hide large salaries and long-term contracts. But when you place a player, there is a risk of losing them. “
To use the GM’s words, the Hab hopes to hide Byron.
If not claimed this afternoon, the junior winger will find himself in the reserve squad. That way, the Canadian would save under the salary cap roughly $ 10,000 ($ 9,267) a day. To get to that number, we take 1.075 million (the amount that can be deducted from the NHL secured contract by sending a player to the reserve team or to the Major League Soccer) and divide it by 116 days. Days of players. Pay.
long vacation
CH will play its next game next Saturday against the Maple Leafs at the Bell Center. Until the next meeting, Byron could stay in the reserve team until Friday. In this alternative, we’ll talk about saving nearly $ 50,000 ($ 46,335).
The more money Bergevin saved, the more players he would be able to keep on the main team. In recent days, the Canadian can now afford two reserve soldiers, compared to only one at the start of the season.