The Los Angeles Kings announced yesterday that they’ve signed Quinton Byfield to a five-year contract, carrying a $6.25 million cap hit.
The forward wrapped up his entry-level contract this season, posting 20 goals and 55 points across 80 games, in what was a bit of a breakout year. At just 22 years old, the former second-overall pick is going to be counted on as a key part of the team’s future.
As for the contract, while it's great to get the forward extended, a five-year length wasn’t really optimal, because it means Byfield will be able to sign a much larger deal at UFA status in his mid-20s, which could be costly for the Kings cap-wise in the long-run.
I’ve done an in-depth contract analysis article for the deal at HockeyComparables.com, which can be viewed here:
- ARTICLE: Analyzing Quinton Byfield’s five-year contract (HockeyComparables.com)
Of course, Byfield is likely only going to get better, and will end up being well worth his cap hit. Coming off a breakout year and turning just 22 years old next month, all signs point to Byfield taking another step offensively next season.
The deal does continue a bit of a trend with the Kings’ recent contracts though: with Adrian Kempe, Vladislav Gavrikov, and now Byfield, they’ve been willing to extend players on short/mid-length deals, despite paying a cap hit that should likely be equivalent to a longer deal for each player, based on comparables.
Still, Byfield is set to be a huge part of the team’s forward group for the foreseeable future, and getting him extended was a key piece of remaining business for the team’s offseason plans.
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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