On the Rise: Quinton Byfield
Finding his stride out wide
One step back didn’t do the trick. Quinton Byfield needed to move sideways in order to take two steps forward in 2022-23.
Shortly after a late-December call-up, the 21-year-old center was shifted to Anze Kopitar’s left wing—and he hit the ground running. Over the remaining ~40 games of the season, he delivered his strongest performances to date and redefined expectations in the process.
Here’s how the 2020 second overall pick has begun his ascent.
Puck Pursuit
Byfield’s time at center revealed that his feet are much faster than his processor. He can flat out fly once he gathers a head of steam. The key to success, then, is pushing him downhill as often as possible.
With that purpose in mind, head coach Todd McLellan slotted him on the wing alongside Kopitar and Adrian Kempe on New Year’s Eve. A lighter decision-making burden and greater emphasis on his remarkable physical attributes (6’5”, 220 lbs) unleashed a whole new Byfield.
Instead of scanning the ice surface to orchestrate the action, he narrowed his field of view. He became utterly fixated on chasing down possession:
As a puck retriever, Byfield resembles Roope Hintz. A choppy yet powerful and rangy skater who can creep up on you in the blink of an eye. He complements his size, speed and active (albeit rather short) stick with a surprising motor for a prospect of his pedigree. When he’s hustling, he’s everywhere all at once.
Simpler responsibilities have enabled him to hone a laser focus on the puck. He tracks it as stubbornly as any forward on the Kings’ roster, and he employs both hard-nosed and slick approaches to regaining it.
Byfield’s savvy stick placement and hulking frame can grant him the upper hand in any 50/50 proposition. If you win the race and brace for contact, however, he might skip around you to cut an aggressive angle on the puck. At times, his raw tools feel like a cheat code. Thanks to his length and mobility, he can get away with maneuvers that most forecheckers can’t.
His dogged puck pursuit generates more touches for his linemates, and more touches for Kopitar and Kempe tend to lead to more goals:
While Kempe’s nifty mitts shine here, the sequence actually starts with a turnover by the Swede. The Kings catch the Avalanche with their pants down in transition strictly because Byfield’s back pressure stonewalls Evan Rodrigues (COL 9) along the boards. With 55 in the area, breathing room is a mirage.
He may have struggled to control proceedings as a pivot, but he fares really well at solving smaller-scope, rapid-fire problems. Get the puck back. Period.
This turned L.A.’s top line into one of the most dominant units in the sport:
The scary part? Byfield’s development is nowhere near complete. Consistency remains an issue. He also must appreciate the difference between being big and playing big. Kopitar gives up two inches to his young winger, but he’s a more imposing figure on account of his balance and grasp of leverage.
If Byfield can learn to incorporate that weight into his game, he can provide the Kings with an unstoppable puck hound.
Passing
Prior to Byfield’s arrival, Kopitar and Kempe were trapped in a rough patch.
He didn’t single-handedly flip the script, but by applying the pace and decisiveness of his forechecking to his passing, he introduced a dimension that helped unblock his linemates’ production. The duo’s combined goal tally ballooned from 23 in 39 games to 46 in 43 games.
Kopitar, Kempe and Byfield displayed a level of chemistry that was largely missing in the first half of the year. Beyond tips and rebounds, chances originated from cycles, give-and-gos and cross-ice feeds.
Their execution was crisp:
Byfield’s station on the wing streamlined his choices in the offensive zone too. Most of his paralysis by analysis has vanished, and in its place is a more direct brand of playmaking. Look at where the bulk of those dishes originated from: below the dots. He favors short and quick attempts over longer Hail Marys through slimmer seams.
There’s an efficiency to his offense that was absent from 2020-22. This benefited Kopitar and Kempe in a couple of ways:
Kopitar, who’s spent his career as a pass-first center out of preference and necessity, finally enjoyed quality service of his own. Consequently, he registered his highest goals-per-game average since 2017-18.
Seeing as L.A.’s captain became a more potent weapon, Kempe suddenly had more space to himself. Moreover, he faced opponents who could no longer assume he was the trigger man by default. The result? A 53-goal cadence to close out the season.
Byfield reaped some rewards as well. Playing uptempo, on instinct alone, unearthed a confidence he hadn’t exhibited in the pros. I mean, you have to be feeling yourself to pull this off:
Not a second wasted. Not a shred of doubt. He’s just…flowing out there.
On the strength of a more composed Byfield, a more assertive Kopitar and a less predictable Kempe, L.A.’s top line tickled the twine at a dramatically higher rate in the second half of the campaign (per Natural Stat Trick):
Byfield totaled 16 assists in those 43 contests. His 5-on-5 assist rate ranked second on the team and 17th in the NHL over that span.
Is he a game-breaking playmaker? Can he maintain that output across a full season? Probably not in 2023-24, but the mere fact that we’re asking such questions indicates how far he’s come. One minor detour yielded major progress.
Whispers of a bust were rampant last summer. Byfield seemed overwhelmed by the center position, by the sheer volume of information he had to absorb.
So the coaching staff wiped his slate clean and set him loose on the wing. He’s now free to play to his strengths (size, speed, tenacity, close-quarters passing), and that freedom fits him like a glove.
He’s a bona fide NHLer. He could even blossom into a top-six forward this year.
Once again, top shelf analysis. I gotta say those were "bust choruses", not "whispers" and he's still got a lot to prove, but excellent spotlight on a young talent in an overlooked hockey market.