Why 2026-27 is crucial for the Kings – and for Quinton Byfield
Quinton Byfield is a chiselled 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds. He’s an imposing presence any time he walks into a room. Yet he blends in with the crowd just fine in Los Angeles.
It’s the home of the Lakers, the Clippers, the Dodgers, the Rams, the Chargers and so many more major pro sports franchises. In the land of Shohei Ohtani and Luka Doncic and Puka Nacua, the Los Angeles Kings’ players often fade into the background.
And Byfield could not be happier about that.
“I am totally fine with it,” Byfield said with a hearty laugh, sitting with a small group of reporters at the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas last month. “I feel like, for us, it’s good. Obviously you promote yourself more when there’s more media. But it’s nice also just being able to…we’re not massive celebrities, but it’s just nice to go out to the grocery store, if you’re grabbing a drink, if you’re doing whatnot, not to be seen, not to be noticed. You can just do what you want. Besides, when you’re in Toronto, Montreal, I feel like there’s a lot more attention on you. You see videos of people taken. So there’s a little more, no stress for the media [in L.A.], and you’re able to just live.”
Additionally, even by the relatively obscure standard of Kings fame, Byfield isn’t a household name quite yet, despite the fact he was the 2020 NHL Draft’s second-overall pick. He’s not Drew Doughty or Jonathan Quick or Dustin Brown or Luc Robitaille.
Byfield is also not yet on the level of the man who retired after last season as the franchise’s all-time leader in games, assists and points: Anze Kopitar.
But with Byfield, 24, ascending into his prime, and Kopitar’s position as L.A.’s first-line center vacated, everything is about to change. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest Byfield is ready to break through as the franchise’s marquee star.
Byfield developed similarly to a lot of high-ceilinged, big-bodied forwards when he broke into the NHL: slowly. A fractured ankle sustained at the start of his first full season in 2021-22 stunted his growth further. But he levelled up in 2023-24, his age-21 season, establishing himself as one of L.A.’s top forwards and wowing fans with some highlight-reel goals on power moves.
Since that season, Byfield’s ascension has plateaued at least on the surface. The Kings have counted on him for 20 goals and 50 points a year, usually as a second-liner. But he has become more than his basic stats. His play-driving has been consistently solid; he set a career high in individual expected goal rate last season at 5-on-5. And he continues to be a reliable two-way forward for the Kings; he graded out not just as an 81st percentile offensive player but also as a 75th percentile defensive player last season, according to Hockey Stat Cards. He did so with maximum difficulty of workload; his quality of competition score was as high as any forward’s in the NHL. The opposing forward he faced the most last season was Connor McDavid.
Byfield eclipsed 20 minutes of average ice time last season for the first time, and he knows he’ll be entrusted going forward as a play-driving beast in the Kopitar role. Byfield doesn’t have Kopitar to lean on for advice in the dressing room anymore, but the mentorship doesn’t have to end just because he retired.
“Yeah, definitely, me and ‘Kopi’ were pretty tight and still shoot each other some texts,” Byfield told Daily Faceoff. “I was just texting some happy birthdays back and forth the other week. So I feel like there’ll still be some communication. Might be hard with the time change that he has now [in his native Slovenia], but other than that, there’s still gonna be some communication. When he comes back to L.A. for his jersey retirement, too, I’m sure we’ll catch up and get some dinner as well.”
Byfield looks the part of the responsible 200-foot center. But Kopitar was also a high-end offensive player at his best, posting 70 or more points nine times, 80 or more points twice and more than 90 points once. Can Byfield reach that level as he enters what should be his peak seasons of productivity?
The opportunity has never been better. To open 2026-27 in new coach Peter Laviolette’s up-tempo system, Byfield is slotted between Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe. Complemented by Panarin’s elite playmaking and Kempe’s goal-scoring chops, Byfield should blow past his career high of 55 points with ease should he retain that juicy assignment all season long.
Honestly? He has to produce at the highest rate of his career to date if the Kings are to be taken seriously as a contender. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2013-14. They’ve been bounced in Round 1 of the postseason five years in a row. They’re the oldest team in the NHL by average age after GM Ken Holland added greybeards Corey Perry, Mats Zuccarello and Erik Haula in free agency. If the Kings are to improve, it will be specifically because Byfield and defenseman Brandt Clarke break through as star-grade players.
Byfield understands that there’s pressure on him and the Kings to emerge from the muck of mediocrity, especially with Doughty in the final season of his contract; Byfield says he felt that pressure last year, too, trying to make Kopitar’s swan-song year count. But Byfield also embraces the opportunity he has this season, and he’s confident in what the Kings can do, particularly because of their dressing-room cohesion.
“I feel like we have such a great group of guys, not just on the ice but off the ice,” Byfield said. “I feel like we might be, if not one of the tightest teams off the ice, we’re always hanging out, always doing stuff on the road or at home. You look at our lineup too, we have some of the best winger depth in the league, forward depth in general. We’ve got a lot of veteran guys who’ve gone deep, who’ve won. They know what’s needed to make the next step. So I feel like there’s a lot there for us to be a threat and make it deep, and we’re excited about it.”
If the Kings do indeed take that step, and Byfield leads the way with a leap into real stardom? Those walks to the grocery store might be a tiny bit less anonymous a year from now. Enjoy the quiet while you can, Quinton.
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