Habs' Byron will retire after 12-season career

Forward Paul Byron will retire before the 2023-24 season, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes confirmed Tuesday, according to La Presse's Richard Labbe.

Byron, 34, didn't play last season due to a hip injury. The four-year, $13.6-million contract he signed in September 2018 expired this summer.

Hughes added that he'll meet with Byron in September to discuss a position with the club, according to Labbe.

Byron was drafted in the sixth round by the Buffalo Sabres in 2007. He played eight games with the Sabres in 2010-11 before being traded to the Calgary Flames.

The Ottawa native played 130 games in Calgary over parts of four seasons. He spent the remainder of his career with the Canadiens after they claimed him off waivers in October 2015.

Byron tallied back-to-back 20-goal campaigns with Montreal in 2016-17 and 2017-18. He racked up career highs in 2016-17 with 22 goals and 43 points.

From 2018 through 2022, Byron was an alternate captain in Montreal. However, he missed 133 games during that span due to injury before missing the entire 2022-23 campaign.

In the playoffs, Byron scored five goals and 11 points in 38 postseason games with the Habs. He played all 22 contests in Montreal's Stanley Cup Final run in 2021.

Byron accrued 81 goals and 160 points in 383 regular-season contests with the Canadiens. He totaled 98 goals and 208 points in his 521-game career.

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