The 32-year-old forward is expected to need five months to recover, meaning he could miss at least three months of the season. Montreal plays its first game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 13, about two and a half months from now.
Byron scored 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 46 games last season and six points (three goals, three assists) in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games, helping Montreal advance to the Cup Final, which it lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
Selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round (No. 179) of the 2007 NHL Draft, Byron has scored 201 points (94 goals, 107 assists) in 494 regular-season games with the Sabres, Calgary Flames and Canadiens, and 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 38 postseason games.
