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The Los Angeles Kings signed second-overall pick Quinton Byfield to an entry-level contract yesterday. Now the question becomes whether or not he’ll make the jump to the NHL right away.
This article topic comes from a poll I did yesterday, where I asked readers whether or not they thought Byfield would spend the season in the NHL, to which 54 per cent of readers voted that he would not spend the year with the Kings.
For starters, the majority of recent second-overall picks have made the jump to the NHL right away and considering Byfield stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs nearly 215 pounds, he’s certainly physically mature enough to do so. On top of that, there may not be a ton of room for Byfield to grow as a player in the OHL, based on the quality of competition. That said, Byfield was one of the younger players in the draft and it could simply be an opportunity to give him a bit more time to touch-up certain aspects of his game before making the jump to the NHL.
Realistically, Byfield will likely get a nine-game trial run and much of the decision will probably be based on that. He’s a good enough player to make the jump and find success, it’s just a matter of whether the Kings feel that’s best for his development.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Reviewing this week's polls (October 3): Kings Edition Kings acquire Olli Maatta from Blackhawks Analyzing the Olli Maatta trade Kings select Quinton Byfield with second-overall pick Kings acquire Lias Andersson, draft eight more players in Rounds 2-7 Weekly Recap: Kings Edition (October 12) Kings sign Quinton Byfield to entry-level contract