Quinton Byfield speaks on his new, five-year contract – “I want to be an LA King for the rest of my life”

5 years for 55.

With yesterday’s announcement, the number-one priority for the summer is locked in. We didn’t know exactly how many years Quinton Byfield would sign for. We didn’t know exactly what the AAV would be. We did know, though, that he would be signed. Now he is.

“We are extremely excited to reach an agreement that will allow Quinton to continue to grow with the Kings for the next five years,” Kings General Manager Rob Blake said. “Since selecting him in 2020, Quinton has demonstrated his commitment to getting better on and off the ice each day.”

The contract for Byfield ultimately landed in between a bridge contract and a long-term extension. Five years buys out one year of unrestricted free agency and sets Byfield up to sign a long-term extension during his prime, as a 26-year-old, with the Kings hoping that extension makes him a lifelong member of the franchise.

Byfield’s priorities are in the same area. Simply put, he wants to play in Los Angeles for his entire career.

“I’m just happy to be an LA King for the next five years,” Byfield said. “There were a couple deals on the line and I think we all came to an agreement that this is the best deal for both sides. When that time comes, I want to be an LA King for the rest of my life, so I think it’s just the best deal right now for both sides and we came to that agreement.”

In terms of multiple deals being available, Byfield clarified that it was simply a collection of different offers from the Kings, not from other teams via an offer sheet.

He reiterated that Los Angeles is “where I want to be and spend the rest of my career” and that there was no consideration of a potential offer coming in from another team. He wasn’t interested if there was. Sometimes when it comes to restricted free agents, who typically have a wider variety of options in terms of contracts, but fewer in terms of landing spots, the deals take a little bit longer to come to an agreement.

This type of agreement makes a ton of sense right now, but it might not have been where we thought we’d be at 18 months ago.

Byfield had the hype and status that comes along with being selected second overall and at times, he struggled to match it on the ice. Then it began to click midway through the 2022-23 season and he hasn’t looked back. 2023-24 saw the points match the lightbulb, as he set career highs in goals (20), assists (35) and points (55). All a part of the process for a player who fought through to become the player he is today.

“There’s definitely pressure that you put yourself in but I feel like everybody in the NHL has pressure on them, so it’s just what you can do with that opportunity,” Byfield said of his journey. “I think there’s a lot more going into that, a lot was opportunity that you’re getting, I dealt with a lot of injuries and sicknesses, so there wasn’t much consistency for me when I came in and I feel like that affected me. Then, on top of being a high pick, you’ve got to perform, it was all super tough for me at that point, but I just let it go. I’ve been playing hockey my whole life and I knew what I could do, and I tried to sit back, relax and do my thing.”

QB55 x 5‼️ pic.twitter.com/eogeCRqLJx

— LA Kings (@LAKings) July 15, 2024

He certainly did his thing this past season and the Kings will need him to continue to do his thing throughout the course of what both sides expect to be a long career in Los Angeles.

With Byfield, there was always a clear path to signing with the Kings and gearing up to help push the organization forward. As he does so, he’ll likely work at the center position going forward, a move that he spoke about today and that the Kings have touched on throughout the course of the offseason.

Byfield is a natural center. It’s the position he’s played throughout his entire career, the position he was drafted at and the position that both he and the Kings maintained he’d likely return to one day as he grew and developed as a professional.

“It’s almost like a new challenge again, going back down the middle, but I’ve played there my whole life,” Byfield said. “Playing with and alongside Kopi, playing with Phil as well, just watching those guys, how responsible they are in the d-zone, knowing how much care they take back there, both sides of the puck, taking face offs and everything, I feel like I’ve learned a lot from them. When I get back to center, kind of just molding my game a little bit after them and taking pieces of their game.”

As a center, the Kings are looking at the possibility of Byfield forming a high-upside line with Kevin Fiala. The two have played together at times but it hasn’t really been with Byfield at center and Fiala as his main running mate.

On paper, it’s a line that could be extremely effective and impactful. Fiala is the team’s most dynamic offensive playmaker who can both score and facilitate. Byfield has the legs to go with Fiala and the awareness to predict the unpredictable, a skill that is required when playing with a player like Fiala. It’s a challenge and a test, but one he is looking forward to.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity [of] coming back center and playing with Kev, hopefully, he’s such a dynamic player offensively,” Byfield said. “Just the way that he can control the game, with his speed, his vision, the plays that he makes, not many guys can do that. If I can just be there with him and we get some chemistry going, I think we can be really effective together and change the games quite a bit.”

With the possibility of Warren Foegele as the third member of that line, it could provide another player who can skate with Fiala and Byfield and a person who Byfield is quite familiar with.

Byfield and Foegele train together in the summer up in Ontario and both players expressed excitement to potentially play with each other.

Byfield said today that they’ve already been talking this summer, with Foegele picking his brain on the impending move to Los Angeles. Foegele himself was excited about the possibility of that pairing as well. Foegele is a versatile player, who the Kings believe would work on any of the team’s top three forward lines.

“I know Quinton, he’s a great kid and he’s got a high ceiling,” Foegele said earlier this summer. “He’s super fast and super skilled, it would be pretty cool to get the opportunity to play with him.”

Regardless of where he plays, or who he plays with, we know that Byfield will be at the heart of it.

A long-term focus, with short-term goals, Byfield has become a huge contributor in the present and remains a big part of the future. With his contract now locked in, all focus is on the ice, with training camp right around the corner. Look for Byfield to hit the ground running when that time comes.