The Kings' Quinton Byfield contract is one of the offseason's best moves
The Los Angeles Kings kept one of their most important long-term pieces on a potential steal of a contract. It also has a chance to be a long-term win for Byfield financially.
When it comes to improving their roster from outside the organization the Los Angeles Kings have not really made a huge splash this offseason.
At least not yet.
Dumping Pierre-Luc Dubois’ contract and taking a chance on Darcy Kuemper was a fine move. They probably had to get out from the Dubois contract while they still could, they needed a goalie, and I could see a scenario in which Kuemper rebounds in Los Angeles and has a strong year.
Still, as disappointing as Dubois was in his one season in Los Angeles he is still a good player with a track record of success in the NHL. It might not seem like it, and it may not have been great value with the cap, but it is still something they have to replace.
Their offense, which was only 17th in goals per game for the season and 24th after December 1, has added only Warren Foegele and Tanner Jeannot, while losing Viktor Arvidsson in free agency. Arvidsson missed most of the season to injury, but he is still a legit top-six winger when healthy, and he went to the team that has eliminated the Kings in the first round three years in a row (Edmonton Oilers).
If Foegele can duplicate his 2023-24 production from Edmonton that could be a solid depth addition, but Jeannot is not going to do anything to move the needle offensively.
Going from Matt Roy to Joel Edmundson on defense is also a steep downgrade even if they won’t be playing the same exact roles.
All of it is leaving the Kings in a very similar situation to where they have been the past two years — a really good, but not quite great team that is going to struggle to get through the top contenders in the playoffs.
They did, however, make one move on Monday that could prove to be a significant one in the coming seasons by re-signing Quinton Byfield, one of their best young players, to a long-term contract that might be one of the best deals of the offseason.
Byfield, who was a restricted free agent, signed a five-year, $31 million contract extension on Monday.
It’s a great move not only because it avoids the headache of a drawn out, RFA saga that nobody wants to deal with, but also because it has a chance to be an insanely valuable contract for the Kings in future seasons as Byfield hits his peak.
It’s the type of team-friendly, cap-friendly contract that Cup contenders need to hit home runs with when they can.
It also has a chance to be an extremely smart move for Byfield on an individual level if he keeps developing as expected.
Let’s talk about it.
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