Paul Byron 'Might' Start the Year on LTIR, So Basically He is Starting the Year on LTIR
Kent Hughes has had a great start to his General Managing career, but his vision won't ultimately materialize for another year or two. He seems fit for the role though, and as a former agent he has an incredibly holistic understanding of the managerial process, which Habs fans must love about him. Hughes is also built for the media, coming off as a politician at times, offering an answer without actually telling you anything.
So he expects him to be ready for opening night, but there's also a chance he could be on long-term injured reserve. Got it.
The Habs today signed Kirby Dach, making their payroll the NHL's most expensive. They currently sit $10.2M over the league's salary cap but are expected to see Carey Price's $10.5M unburdened by LTIR relief. Still, with only ~$250,000 left in cap space, I have a hunch Hughes' words above indicate he will place Byron on LTIR to save himself an extra $3.4M in breathing room. Presumably to make a trade to move money out.
A strength of Hughes' is his diplomatic abilities, not unlike Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars. He possesses a keen ability to word his way through questions like that without providing any real information. It is an art, frankly. Nevertheless, it looks like Paul Byron could be ready or be out for an extended period of time. Somewhere in the middle, you could say.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 7 | 171 ANSWERS Paul Byron 'Might' Start the Year on LTIR, So Basically He is Starting the Year on LTIR Has Kent Hughes been a good GM so far? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 59.1 % |
| No | 70 | 40.9 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 30, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Quinn Hughes | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Leo Carlsson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Chris Kreider | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Troy Terry | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mavrik Bourque | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Connor Murphy | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vasily Podkolzin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Poehling | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael Bunting | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colton Dach | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brock Faber | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Marcus Foligno | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kasperi Kapanen | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||