and I was providing the argument against Byron for Hox
I have no issue with Byron, he's just a frustrating player, but even you yourself admitted there may not be room for him. So I am not sure why you continue to argue when that is the whole premise.
"You miss 100% of the shots you do take" - Paul Byron
Byron is expendable because there are a lot of guys that hockey better than he does on this team now and in the future. There is a reason he has been in like zero potential line combinations posted since the Frolik signing. He's a fringe player.
It's more about buying out Raymond and using Byron to do so because if arbitration goes south he's likely not in the long term plans.
Because teams clearly shedding salary are seeking cap dumps.Wouldn't it be easier to just trade both to Boston?
What a solid contribution as alwaystldr: You have no idea what you're talking about and your idea is terrible. The Flames can buy Raymond out next year if it's that important.
I'm glad because that's what I intended.This phrasing made me laugh way too much for some reason
In hindsight, probably.Wouldn't it be easier to just trade both to Boston?
yourideaisnewandidon'tunderstanditanditscaresme.giftldr: You have no idea what you're talking about and your idea is terrible. The Flames can buy Raymond out next year if it's that important.
I disagree that the play dies on Byron's stick very much. You don't get a billion chances when you keep having the play die on your stick. You can't be a good possession player if the play dies on your stick, because possession numbers are based on shots, and the play dying on your stick indicates that you never got to that stage. He had an off season in terms of finishing (which, if you look at his history, was a complete anomaly), but that doesn't mean the play died on his stick. I'm not basing this just on advanced stats, though. By my eye, I never associate Byron with having the play die on his stick a la Raymond.
Had to get that out.
What a solid contribution as always
And I know exactly what I am talking about and the way it looks now, why spend the money to buy him in the minors?
I'm still not sold on buying Raymond out. If we buy him out, we guarantee that we'll be dealing with a cap hit for the next few years. If we keep him, we can look for other ways to get rid of the contract as a whole. Maybe right now teams aren't interested in him with 2 years left, but next off-season, a team expecting to do poorly might take him for a low pick on the off-chance that they might be able to flip him at the deadline for good assets.
I agree, it's not ideal. Would be better to buy him out worst case next year. Problem is I have a feeling his value will only further plummet this year. I like Byron a lot more than him and also think Paul is a superior option in our bottom 6 whereas Raymond is utterly useless in that role. The big advantage of buying him out now is that it would open up a roster spot, but I agree from a cap standpoint it's better to do next year.
Of course yes he could bounce back and become an asset in the process, but I have my doubts.
Another way to open a roster spot would be to waive him and send him to the AHL, and that itself also carries the possibility of some team taking the whole cap hit off our hands.
If they wanted to buy Raymond out, why wouldn't they have just done it during the buy out window?