It’s understandable why there is frustration surrounding Quinton Byfield and his production levels throughout the first quarter of the season. He was a second-overall pick, expected to be one of the key pieces to this Los Angeles Kings franchise for the foreseeable future and to morph into that number-one center by the time Anze Kopitar couldn’t do it anymore, which doesn’t seem like it’s happening anytime soon.
Teams have so much riding on the success of their top draft picks. The success of these players determines so many different things for a team when it comes to figuring out what they need in the present or planning for the future. High draft picks are bound to bring them criticism the minute things go sideways. Remember the amount of criticism and displeasure Jack Hughes received during his first two seasons in the league, where he got off to a slow start having a tough time producing as a first-overall pick? It wasn’t a pretty start for Hughes but all it took was another 78 games for him to shut everyone up.
You could take a look at how other players in Byfield’s draft class have performed so far in their careers and use that as a tool to judge Byfield, but the truth is his development has taken longer. Alexis Lafreniere (1st overall pick in 2020) and Tim Stutzle (3rd overall pick in 2020) both cracked their respective teams’ rosters right out of the gates and haven’t looked back since with neither of them even playing a game in the American Hockey League. For Byfield, he only played six games in his first season after being drafted and only got to over 50 games in the NHL for the first time during the 2022-23 season. Byfield did not fully outgrow the AHL until last season. While he’s been playing in the NHL since 2021, he never remained a regular on the Kings’ roster until last season.
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Speaking of last season, it was a pretty good one for Byfield as he played 80 games finishing with 20 goals and 55 points. He proved he was ready to become a full-time NHLer and found success playing on the wing alongside Kopitar and Adrian Kempe.
What Have We Seen From Byfield This Season?
Byfield came into training camp looking dominant. His preseason was terrific and all signs were pointing toward a monster year. With the speed, power, and explosiveness he showcased, it was evident he put in a lot of work during the offseason. One of the biggest question marks heading into this season was how much improvement we would see from Byfield in his second full season in the NHL. Spending a lot of last season on the wing, he was going to get the chance to return to his natural position at center. Would this shift allow him to elevate his game and use that power and speed to drive his own line?
Through 26 games played this season, it’s been a bit of a bumpy road. The Byfield we saw during the preseason has only been visible for glimpses and although he has remained at center for a majority of games this season, he has still shifted over to the wing on occasion. Byfield has just three goals and 11 points. He’s tied for the ninth most points on the team right now with Vladislav Gavrikov. Obviously, this is a disappointing stat line, and these numbers aren’t anywhere near where they should be. Production hasn’t come easy for the 22-year-old and if he plays all 82 games, he’s on pace to finish with just nine goals and 34 points.
What’s unfortunate for Byfield is that there seems to be a monkey on his back that he can’t quite shake. Producing and finding the back of the net is what counts at the end of the day and while he’s not seeing his name pop up on the scoresheet as much as he would like, it hasn’t been due to a lack of effort.
This conversation would be a whole lot worse if his lack of production was because he looked disinterested or he was constantly having plays die on his stick or ultimately wasn’t doing anything positive on the ice. Byfield has been all over the offensive zone this season. He’s creating chances, being in the right areas, and using his speed to create space. That speed is the center of his game when it comes to trying to create something offensively, and he’s one of the most explosive players in the league. According to NHL Edge, Byfield’s top skating speed ranks in the 84th percentile league-wide and his 105 speed bursts over 20 mph ranks in the 98th percentile. While there are times when it looks like he is a half-step behind, for the most part, the way Byfield has been playing isn’t concerning. His CF% is seventh best on the Kings at 55.92%, he’s had the fifth most scoring chances out of any other Kings forward and he leads all Kings forwards in high-danger scoring chances with 102.
The way Byfield has carried himself on the ice has also been reciprocated through his ice time and the different situations he’s been playing in. He has had the fourth most ice-time out of any other Kings forward, he’s playing on the first power play unit, and he and Warren Foegele have formed a pretty good duo on the penalty kill. On the penalty kill, the Kings have given up the least amount of goals and scoring chances when he’s on the ice and he has the second most scoring chances for out of any regular penalty-killing forward, just one behind his partner Foegele.
There’s just one key issue with Byfield right now and it’s his inability to finish and find the back of the net. It could be a confidence thing that he needs to find a way to get past, at times it looks like he is thinking too hard and overly complicating plays and sometimes that leads to turnovers or incomplete passes or him just blatantly missing the net, which unfortunately has happened way too much.
From the fans to the coaching staff to Byfield himself, no one is happy with how the season has gone so far but his game away from the scoresheet hasn’t been anything to be overly concerned about. It’s only a matter of time before he starts to find the back of the net, and once he starts to land a couple his confidence is going to soar.
He’s a 22-year-old in his second full season in the NHL, shifting back to center full-time at the NHL level. Have patience and don’t give up on him just yet because we have all seen what Byfield can do and how impactful he can be when he’s on his game.
