The NHL’s Department of Player Safety is hard at work this morning reviewing all the questionable hits from last night, and have decided that one in particular is deserving of further discipline. Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron will have a hearing today after charging Florida Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. Weegar suffered an injury on the play.
Byron has been an excellent performer once again this season for the Canadiens, tallying nine even-strength goals in just 34 games despite averaging just 12 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5. The speedy forward is a lethal counter-puncher, and provides a solid balance for the more skilled Montreal players who can sometimes be hesitant to leave the perimeter. Losing Byron for any length of time would hurt the Montreal attack, and force the team to use someone else on the penalty kill for at least a few games.