Los Angeles Kings demote former 2nd overall pick after another lackluster call up
The Long Angeles Kings defeated the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Saturday night. After the game the team made the difficult decision opting to re-assign their 2020 1st round pick, Quinton Byfield, back to the AHL's Ontario Reign.
Byfield will be assigned to Ontario on a conditioning stint, as the young center missed six games earlier in the season due to an illness.
Byfield has resumed skating, but during his current run in the NHL with the Kings, he's registered 11:46 time on ice.
The Kings picked Byfield with the intent and purpose of the youngster developing into a 1st line center. If Byfield is to stay with the team the rest of the season and the Kings are looking for progression and for now, his progression into a top-six forward.
Gabe Vilardi and Adrian Kempe are recent Kings draft picks who have matured into regular producers and shown they can be relied upon to contribute. Byfield's true maturation as a player has yet to be seen, as he is still green and there are some who speculate that his full potential as a 1C/2C will be realized in the next few years, as Anze Kopitar will slide into a 3rd line role, as Danault and Byfield will compete to slot into either of those spots.
Byfield's production this season has been 3 assists in 8 games, but it is still early yet to see how it will turn out.
| POLL | ||
What is Quinton Byfield's full potential? | ||
| Top line center | 21 | 22.3 % |
| 2C | 32 | 34 % |
| 3C | 22 | 23.4 % |
| Fringe NHLer | 19 | 20.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
