GDT: 2024-25 season game 55 LA Kings vs Vegas Golden Knights @7:30pm 2/24/25

[FrozenKing18]

I feel like the expectations are a little too high for where Byfield should be right now. It is understandable being in the company of one of the best 2-Way players of all time in Kopitar for a near 2 decades. It’s hard not to compare them seeing as Byfield is next in line for that top C spot. Byfield isn’t Kopitar. He’s not as talented as Kopi was, and Kopi was a freak of an athlete until recently. I think some of the doubters are dismissing the fact that he is 22 years old and young enough to make adjustments and improvement on his game. I can understand if he was 27 years old and still plays the way he plays. Like others have mentioned, consistency is key. If he can work on his shot and bury them and figure out that he can absolutely truck people out there.. we have ourselves one hell of a player.

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

The last 6 games are proof that Byfield can score at a literal 137 point pace with an 85% GF percentage while playing C, getting regular PK duty, barely touching PP2, and getting amongst the hardest zone starts amongst Kings forwards and people will look for cracks in his game

Yes it's a small sample size, but the point is in February you need to look for a different punching bag

yep

I feel like the expectations are a little too high for where Byfield should be right now. It is understandable being in the company of one of the best 2-Way players of all time in Kopitar for a near 2 decades. It’s hard not to compare them seeing as Byfield is next in line for that top C spot. Byfield isn’t Kopitar. He’s not as talented as Kopi was, and Kopi was a freak of an athlete until recently. I think some of the doubters are dismissing the fact that he is 22 years old and young enough to make adjustments and improvement on his game. I can understand if he was 27 years old and still plays the way he plays. Like others have mentioned, consistency is key. If he can work on his shot and bury them and figure out that he can absolutely truck people out there.. we have ourselves one hell of a player.

yep

 

[NikF]

I don't think Byfield is less talented than Kopitar. He's a better skater and his "final pass" is probably more creative than Kopitar's. He hasn't been a great shooter and his confidence isn't where it should be. Kopitar figured out his game earlier than Byfield did. I'm not even sure Byfield has a good sense of what makes him effective yet and is still in process of finding it out by trial and error. Something which was probably delayed by the Kings highly conservative developmental choices, because Byfield looks like someone who will improve the more tough reps he gets against top players and the Kings do their best to let players settle into checking or limited roles before ever offering them prime minutes. To be fair when Kopitar came over, his main competition for the #1 center job was who? Derek Armstrong and Craig Conroy?

 

[FrozenKing18]

Yes, it’s not fair to say Byfield isn’t less talented than Kopitar. Wrong for me to say. You also make a great point that when Kopi came in, it was Conroy and Armstrong who he had to beat. With Byfield, its Kopitar and Danault, elite 2-way duo. To restructure my point, there’s a lot of factors that’s inhibiting Byfield’s current development. We can’t dismiss them. All we got to do is be patient until he goes through his second break out and become the player we all know he can be.

 

[bland]

I don't think Byfield is less talented than Kopitar. He's a better skater and his "final pass" is probably more creative than Kopitar's. He hasn't been a great shooter and his confidence isn't where it should be. Kopitar figured out his game earlier than Byfield did. I'm not even sure Byfield has a good sense of what makes him effective yet and is still in process of finding it out by trial and error. Something which was probably delayed by the Kings highly conservative developmental choices, because Byfield looks like someone who will improve the more tough reps he gets against top players and the Kings do their best to let players settle into checking or limited roles before ever offering them prime minutes. To be fair when Kopitar came over, his main competition for the #1 center job was who? Derek Armstrong and Craig Conroy?

The entire Kings philosophy is built around Kopitar's strengths. There was never any chance that they would allow a young center who isn't cut from the same cloth to ascend to the focal point with a different style of game. They have been extraordinarily patient with Byfield while molding him into that two-way pivot to move into Kopitar already worn-in shoes. He isn't being built to pass him, he is being built to move into that exact same role - whether it suits him or not.

That's the delay with Byfield, being rewired from an attacking rushing center into a reliable, imposing shutdown center with skill. There's an identity crisis leading to confidence issues en route to that destination.

Regardless, his actual puck skill is still his biggest issue. I don't think that there are many forwards on this roster who are more likely to be stripped of the puck on a 1 on 1 than Byfield, he just isn't strong on contested plays that require deft touches. He tries things that are more difficult than necessary and far too often fails. Simplicity is the key for him - I don't know that there is a more likely player in the league sans MacKinnon to dominate play with a less-is-more approach.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

HILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How do you watch what Fiala, Byfield, and Kempe did together in that 3rd period against Vegas and come away thinking "alright, let's go back to the old lines for the next game"????

I legit saw dozens of people posting on here and twitter talking about how great 22-55-9 looked together and how that line needs to stay together. Kopitar has been struggling for a while now, everyone can see it (besides this coaching staff apparently).

Instead of just moving Kopi down the lineup and icing our new super line (22-55-9), Hiller is going to chain Kempe to Kopitar and have forwards rotating on their left wing all night again (because he clearly doesn't like Turcotte in that spot - like 5 games in a row he's started Turc in that spot and then gone away from it after about a period).

22-55-14 is a solid line don't get me wrong and I'm a big Laf guy so I'm partially excited to see that line again but Kermpe with Byfield and Fiala was undoubtedly a special combination.

I know Hiller is a good coach and the team is playing well but this sh*t is so frustrating.

 

[King'sPawn]

HILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How do you watch what Fiala, Byfield, and Kempe did together in that 3rd period against Vegas and come away thinking "alright, let's go back to the old lines for the next game"????

I legit saw dozens of people posting on here and twitter talking about how great 22-55-9 looked together and how that line needs to stay together. Kopitar has been struggling for a while now, everyone can see it (besides this coaching staff apparently).

Instead of just moving Kopi down the lineup and icing our new super line (22-55-9), Hiller is going to chain Kempe to Kopitar and have forwards rotating on their left wing all night again (because he clearly doesn't like Turcotte in that spot - like 5 games in a row he's started Turc in that spot and then gone away from it after about a period).

22-55-14 is a solid line don't get me wrong and I'm a big Laf guy so I'm partially excited to see that line again but Kermpe with Byfield and Fiala was undoubtedly a special combination.

I know Hiller is a good coach and the team is playing well but this sh*t is so frustrating.

Hiller is more comfortable than McLennan in adjusting lines on the fly in game. So I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

Hiller is more comfortable than McLennan in adjusting lines on the fly in game. So I wouldn't worry too much about it.

You're definitely right but that's part of my point.

We probably will see 22-55-9 again soon (potentially even tonight) - so maybe I'm overreacting a bit. But why go away from that line in the first place?? I'm sure Hiller will wait until the Kings are trailing or struggling to generate offense, then reunite that trio in an effort to spark the offense and come from behind.

Why wait until the team is behind / struggling to ice your best 1st line possible? A line that carried you to a comeback victory against a very good opponent. That line had insane pace together - Why not START the game with that pace and let those three set the tone instead of waiting until the 3rd period?

Hiller can sometimes strike gold with his line jumbling. But he consistently seems to then immediately go back to the lines that weren't working to begin with. It's frustrating.

It happened a couple weeks ago too. Kings were trailing. Hiller starts scrambling the lines. Hiller eventually put Fiala up with Kopi and Kempe and they looked great and helped the Kings come from behind to secure the victory, then the very next game we were back to the same lines that got us in that position in the first place.

I know the answer is probably that he's trying to spread out the offense but when a line looks as good as 22-55-9 did in that 3rd period, you don't break them up. There are times to tinker and times to just keep it simple and let your best players play together. Fiala, Byfield, and Kempe are clearly our three best forwards right now. Let them play together and dominate.

 

[King'sPawn]

You're definitely right but that's part of my point.

We probably will see 22-55-9 again soon (potentially even tonight) - so maybe I'm overreacting a bit. But why go away from that line in the first place?? I'm sure Hiller will wait until the Kings are trailing or struggling to generate offense, then reunite that trio in an effort to spark the offense and come from behind.

Why wait until the team is behind / struggling to ice your best 1st line possible? A line that carried you to a comeback victory against a very good opponent. That line had insane pace together - Why not START the game with that pace and let those three set the tone instead of waiting until the 3rd period?

Hiller can sometimes strike gold with his line jumbling. But he consistently seems to then immediately go back to the lines that weren't working to begin with. It's frustrating.

It happened a couple weeks ago too. Kings were trailing. Hiller starts scrambling the lines. Hiller eventually put Fiala up with Kopi and Kempe and they looked great and helped the Kings come from behind to secure the victory, then the very next game we were back to the same lines that got us in that position in the first place.

I know the answer is probably that he's trying to spread out the offense but when a line looks as good as 22-55-9 did in that 3rd period, you don't break them up. There are times to tinker and times to just keep it simple and let your best players play together. Fiala, Byfield, and Kempe are clearly our three best forwards right now. Let them play together and dominate.

You still have to play Kopitar with somebody. And Laferriere is still growing his game.

If the Kings lose to Vancouver, I just don't see it as being due to Kempe playing with Kopitar versus Byfield.

It's just reinforced by your second to last paragraph. Fiala - Kopitar - Kempe had a few good shifts then he went back. Would you prefer he kept that configuration for the past few weeks, and keep Byfield with Turcotte and Laferriere?

Hiller has done a good job for the most part (my biggest complaint is how they're managing Clarke). It looks like he wants to try to get multiple lines going, and when he needs a jolt, he has a line he can try to overload to get some scoring.

It's like with Edmonton. Their two best players are McDavid and Draisaitl. Ideally they can be separated to have two scoring threats, but when more is needed, they mix things up.

Nothing wrong with trying to make things work as long as you show adaptability in-game.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

You still have to play Kopitar with somebody. And Laferriere is still growing his game.

If the Kings lose to Vancouver, I just don't see it as being due to Kempe playing with Kopitar versus Byfield.

It's just reinforced by your second to last paragraph. Fiala - Kopitar - Kempe had a few good shifts then he went back. Would you prefer he kept that configuration for the past few weeks, and keep Byfield with Turcotte and Laferriere?

Hiller has done a good job for the most part (my biggest complaint is how they're managing Clarke). It looks like he wants to try to get multiple lines going, and when he needs a jolt, he has a line he can try to overload to get some scoring.

It's like with Edmonton. Their two best players are McDavid and Draisaitl. Ideally they can be separated to have two scoring threats, but when more is needed, they mix things up.

Nothing wrong with trying to make things work as long as you show adaptability in-game.

I see your points but it's a much different situation than EDM in my opinion. Edmonton has a good/great first line no matter what (because they have two of the best players in the world to carry that 1st line). If they load up that first line with both McDavid and Draisaitl it just becomes even better.

The Kings on the other hand, don't really have a first line to begin with (or at least haven't for the last month or two). Kopitar has been struggling for almost 2 months now and they've been rotating forwards at LW on the first line for the last 5 games or so.

So instead of trying to establish a legitimate 1st line that can carry your offense (exactly what 22-55-9 has the potential to be), Hiller is electing to continue to cement 9 and 11 together and rotate forwards on their left side. Leaving no room for consistency and chemistry building.

I think it's important to establish a first line in the NHL. And have 3 very good forwards who you can point to as your top line. The Kings don't have that. It would be a much different scenario if they did have a solid 1st line and then just chose to load up that 1st line at times when needed but that's not what's happening. They have no 1st line and just scramble things constantly until they're trailing and then they ice what should be their first line anyways. It's reactive as opposed to proactive. Not a great approach.

Also, re: Fiala-Kopitar-Kempe. Yes, I would've kept them together for at least another game or two after that game where they looked great and helped the Kings come back. I would've gone to Foegele - Byfield - Laferriere as the 2nd line and would've bumped Turcotte down to line 3 with Danault and Moore.

And re: needing to play someone with Kopitar - Yes, Laferriere's game is still growing but I absolutely think he can be an effective linemate for Kopitar. He's a very hard working forward who does a lot of little things right. Foegele or Turcotte could be nice options to round out that line. There are other forwards who can play with Kopitar.

You're right that there's nothing wrong with making changes and being adaptable but when you make changes that clearly work (REALLY) well there's no need to then re-invent the wheel again or go back to the old strategy that wasn't working to begin with.