The season has been frustrating for the Canadian. For everyone, but probably even more so for veterans whose last year was plagued by injuries.
Posted at 3:06 p.m.
Carey Price’s name comes to mind spontaneously. Those of Jake Allen and Brendan Gallagher too. Even if we saw him little during the winter, Paul Byron is also revealed as a must.
Left hip surgery last summer forced him to miss the first three months of the season. As the holidays approached, he was practically ready to play, but an outbreak of COVID-19 at home followed by a complete break from team activities forced him into inactivity for more than three weeks. A new round of preparation paved the way for a return at the end of January.
The experience lasted 27 games and ended in pain. Literally.
His left hip, swollen, made him suffer martyrdom. He tried to compensate by leaning more on his right hip, which caused muscle tears. Fearing a hernia, he was relieved to know, following examinations, that rest and rehabilitation would allow him to regain his form.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that two weeks ago, “getting out of bed and walking was very hard”. He is better, he assures us, but he was starting from afar, so he still has “a lot of work” to do. The long off-season that is coming will serve him to “rebuild [s]on corps”, with the aim of “returning to the player that[il] believes it can be”.
He sees the future with a positive eye. Despite the unfortunate conclusion to his season, he had enough time to find that his speed and power, as well as his bread and butter, were still there. “I haven’t felt that for a long time. I was quite happy. »
On the other hand, he is not deluded by illusions. He just turned 33. His offensive production is decreasing. His contract, still valid for one year, earns him 3.4 million, a high sum for a player at this stage of his career.
His situation, of which he says he is fully aware, was however not discussed during his end-of-season meeting with his bosses.
What I want is to be able to play every game. It’s difficult for the team if I’m constantly unavailable due to injuries. I know I can improve some facets of my game, but it all comes down to my health.
Paul Byron
“I’m not looking far into the future, I’m just thinking about the huge summer ahead of me,” he concluded. I have a few months left to work hard. If I’m not able [de revenir en pleine forme], I may have a difficult decision to make. »