Prospect Info: Quinton Byfield (2nd Overall 2020 Draft) Discussion part II

[Sol]

He's coming along gradually. His overall NHL game is much better in terms of forecheck, back checking, being responsible on D (although last game he was severely out of position on one goal). He has not put it all together to be a scoring threat.. I guess thats what surprises me..im going to come back to his age.. 20.5 is still very young. I wont start to get concerned until mid next season. Its tough when you see guys like Dawson Mercer (same draft mid 1st round) who look great against us last week put up 9G 5A in his last 7 games...

Yeah it’s just hard to see other players from his draft who are much further along than he is. I know we are being very patient and optimistic over ever little right thing he does but a part of me is like when the hell are you going to start scoring goals and looking dangerous. I am trying to be optimistic but his growth is super gradual which doesn’t give me much hope for his ceiling since he’s this slow.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Shot and release has to be the focus this offseason

 

[Fishhead]

Shot and release has to be the focus this offseason

The last few games I've noticed he's not trying to pick corners as much.

He really seems like he's trying to put too much into his shots which affects accuracy. If you are going to give it everything you got just aim at the goalie, it's probably going to fly left or right anyways.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The last few games I've noticed he's not trying to pick corners as much.

He really seems like he's trying to put too much into his shots which affects accuracy. If you are going to give it everything you got just aim at the goalie, it's probably going to fly left or right anyways.

I think it's one piece overthinking, one piece slower release

Dude has an absolute cannon when he gets it loose but checkers don't give you much time and space at this level and that's one thing he's used to from lower levels, skating himself open

 

[Sol]

Shot and release has to be the focus this offseason

Which is truly surprising. All the predraft scouting reports said he had like the 3rd best shot in entire draft class.. I have no idea how his shot is this terrible. The only working theory I have is that he put on some height and never adjusted so his entire approach for his shots aren’t the same anymore. His stick also looks short still which can also be a factor as to why he can’t generate enough torque since he’s still hunched over when he shoots.

In fact I have no idea why this hasn’t been addressed. They need to really get him bigger in strength and get him the best shooting instructor they can. And he needs to stop being a little baby and get an adult stick already. He has a terrible shot now and across all the scouting reports his Speed and Shot were the best tools he had.

The thing that worries me about Byfield though is that he seems to be painfully slow in becoming a better player which is one of my reservations about him actually becoming a top 6 player. I think even him not getting a bigger stick shows
That he’s not a very confident player which shows.

 

[Fishhead]

I think it's one piece overthinking, one piece slower release

Dude has an absolute cannon when he gets it loose but checkers don't give you much time and space at this level and that's one thing he's used to from lower levels, skating himself open

Absolutely. The overthinking just puts him that split second behind. When a guy like RV, Fiala, and Kempe get the puck they know exactly where and when they are going to shoot right away. The way he motors around the ice if he learns some shot deception and a quick release he's going to be a nightmare for goalies.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Which is truly surprising. All the predraft scouting reports said he had like the 3rd best shot in entire draft class.. I have no idea how his shot is this terrible. The only working theory I have is that he put on some height and never adjusted so his entire approach for his shots aren’t the same anymore. His stick also looks short still which can also be a factor as to why he can’t generate enough torque since he’s still hunched over when he shoots.

In fact I have no idea why this hasn’t been addressed. They need to really get him bigger in strength and get him the best shooting instructor they can. And he needs to stop being a little baby and get an adult stick already. He has a terrible shot now and across all the scouting reports his Speed and Shot were the best tools he had.

The thing that worries me about Byfield though is that he seems to be painfully slow in becoming a better player which is one of my reservations about him actually becoming a top 6 player.

He has a great shot.

Like any other skill, you have to learn to adjust it at the next level.

 

[Herby]

Shot and release has to be the focus this offseason

“And you all thought I’d be working with those kids on faceoffs”

 

[Fishhead]

The thing that worries me about Byfield though is that he seems to be painfully slow in becoming a better player which is one of my reservations about him actually becoming a top 6 player.

It's been talked about ad-nauseum, but guys like Wheeler, Thompson, etc. always take that slower path. It's the size and growing into one's frame. Very few players over 6' 4" get going right away. It's still a valid worry, but it's pretty common for it to take time.

 

[Sol]

He has a great shot.

Like any other skill, you have to learn to adjust it at the next level.

So far he had a great shot. It remains to be seen at the NHL level. He needs to put it together soon. Get a sports psychologist, get physically stronger, shooting coach, adult sized stick. He needs all that.

It's been talked about ad-nauseum, but guys like Wheeler, Thompson, etc. always take that slower path. It's the size and growing into one's frame. Very few players over 6' 4" get going right away. It's still a valid worry, but it's pretty common for it to take time.

That’s true however there’s players who don’t put it together either because they can never make it click in their NHL frame. The fact he doesn’t come off as a confident player doesn’t inspire much hope in me either. He plays pretty timid minus the time he hit hedman. But hopefully he becomes a Wheeler. There’s a lot on Byfields game that needs to get better unfortunately which is why I’m harder on my feelings for him since he was drafted so high but is considered such a project. You should never draft projects that high.

 

[Herby]

It's been talked about ad-nauseum, but guys like Wheeler, Thompson, etc. always take that slower path. It's the size and growing into one's frame. Very few players over 6' 4" get going right away. It's still a valid worry, but it's pretty common for it to take time.

Then shouldn’t it be asked why a team took a long-term project and then proceeded to end a rebuild and go with players in their prime and players at the tail end?

If Byfield takes as long as Tage Thompson and Blake Wheeler did to be an impact player that would put some of the Kings ages at.

Kopitar - 40
Doughty - 38
Fiala - 31
Kempe - 31
Danault - 35
Moore - 32
Roy - 33

Players in his wheel house would be Clarke, Vilardi, Kaliyev, Anderson, Spence, Bjornfot

It just seems like a disorganized contradiction in what the long term plan was. If it was to compete hard until Kopitar and Doughty retired why not just draft the player that was more NHL ready? Instead they took the long play, and then proceeded to trade their 1sts in 2022 and 2023 and one of the best defensive prospects in the league, all of whom could have been assets once QB hit this peak people claim is 3-5 years away.

My guess is the Kings did not anticipate a longer drawn out development similar to those players and expected quicker results

 

[Schrute farms]

Then shouldn’t it be asked why a team took a long-term project and then proceeded to end a rebuild and go with players in their prime and players at the tail end?

Because the FO has no LT plan in place to follow. Learning on the job -- playing checkers over chess.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Biggest thing QB has learned from playing with Kopitar is to look like Iafallo. Only explanation for Todd giving him some minutes. You want to see the guy show he’s worth $10M at age 26. Feels like he’s years out from showing his promise. And we’re supposed to be happy that he’s not a bust.

 

[yankeeking]

Am i watching a different team ,saying QB is timid doesn't jive with what he does on the ice, he is every where on the forecheck and uses his size to separate the puck better every game, if you want him to blow guys up i do not think he ever will do that but he is again only 20 so maybe he develops a mean streak one day but he is more like kopi that way. He is learning in the hardest league to play in in the world and is doing what most wanted here in playing with the big boys and has shown himself pretty well the last 4 to 6 weeks after being put on the first line, his passing is already elite and shows his vision is much better than what was in the pre draft assessment . when he is in the shootout his shot has been awesome but in a small sample size so i think once the game slows down for him a little more he will be fine , maybe not TS level for goal scoring but if he keeps getting better at this rate should still be a 1 or 2 center maybe more thorton like with great assist numbers but hopefully like kopi as the well rounded guy we are hoping for

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Then shouldn’t it be asked why a team took a long-term project and then proceeded to end a rebuild and go with players in their prime and players at the tail end?

If Byfield takes as long as Tage Thompson and Blake Wheeler did to be an impact player that would put some of the Kings ages at.

Kopitar - 40
Doughty - 38
Fiala - 31
Kempe - 31
Danault - 35
Moore - 32
Roy - 33

Players in his wheel house would be Clarke, Vilardi, Kaliyev, Anderson, Spence, Bjornfot

It just seems like a disorganized contradiction in what the long term plan was. If it was to compete hard until Kopitar and Doughty retired why not just draft the player that was more NHL ready? Instead they took the long play, and then proceeded to trade their 1sts in 2022 and 2023 and one of the best defensive prospects in the league, all of whom could have been assets once QB hit this peak people claim is 3-5 years away.

My guess is the Kings did not anticipate a longer drawn out development similar to those players and expected quicker results

You’ve triggered my “Blake has no plan” automated response.

In all seriousness, though, it’s pretty obvious this regime never wanted to commit to a traditional long form rebuild with a defined core and contention window. They tried to catch lightning in a bottle one last time in 17-19, predictably failed, and then were forced to start selling off veterans.

To his legitimate credit, Blake managed to cobble together a winning team out of last gasp vets, mercenaries, and good prospects. But I’ve never been convinced this was the best path for the long term future of the organization.

In hindsight, it just seems so clear to me what Blake and Luc wanted to do with this team. Yeah, they hit some big speed bumps and traded guys like Carter and Muzzin, but they never gave up on the dream of one last Cup for Kopitar/Doughty.

If the Kings DO manage to win a championship this year or next, hey, give me some of that humble pie. But like you said, the long term future from here seems disjointed at best, directionless at worst.

 

[King'sPawn]

You’ve triggered my “Blake has no plan” automated response.

In all seriousness, though, it’s pretty obvious this regime never wanted to commit to a traditional long form rebuild with a defined core and contention window. They tried to catch lightning in a bottle one last time in 17-19, predictably failed, and then were forced to start selling off veterans.

To his legitimate credit, Blake managed to cobble together a winning team out of last gasp vets, mercenaries, and good prospects. But I’ve never been convinced this was the best path for the long term future of the organization.

In hindsight, it just seems so clear to me what Blake and Luc wanted to do with this team. Yeah, they hit some big speed bumps and traded guys like Carter and Muzzin, but they never gave up on the dream of one last Cup for Kopitar/Doughty.

If the Kings DO manage to win a championship this year or next, hey, give me some of that humble pie. But like you said, the long term future from here seems disjointed at best, directionless at worst.

This is the crux of what I was proposing the Kings do; even though it comes off as "half-measured." But I actually think there's merit to rebuilding or retooling. I think, by and large, just losing and getting high picks and trading away every quality player is a pretty terrible way of managing a team. Lombardi had some pretty underwhelming vets which didn't fit into his team, and he made some moves to bring in the right vets.

But I think if you have a good amount of quality vets, which I believe the Kings have and had, you benefit MORE from letting your players play and learn from the quality vets, to let them adjust their game into the NHL level and letting your vets insulate the youth as they grow.

It's why I was happy for the Danault and Arvidsson acquisitions. More quality players to have young players learning from. And they aren't just plugs to make it easier to lose.

Only took the Kings almost two years to see it that way, too!

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Biggest thing QB has learned from playing with Kopitar is to look like Iafallo. Only explanation for Todd giving him some minutes. You want to see the guy show he’s worth $10M at age 26. Feels like he’s years out from showing his promise. And we’re supposed to be happy that he’s not a bust.

He was never going to go from a 20 point pace to a 90 point pace.

I'm happy he's made that step from 20 point to 50 point pace after moving to the top line as well as made them one of the most dominant lines in the league, practically resurrecting Kopitar to the right side of the GF% ledger. Progress sometimes happens in fits and starts sure, but many of us have observed vast improvements in all aspects of his game (except his shot, lol).

You can be grumpy about it if you want, but the best is yet to come, and much of it seems like it's just starting to peek aroudn the corner, which is why it's such a weird time for such pessimism.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

This is the crux of what I was proposing the Kings do; even though it comes off as "half-measured." But I actually think there's merit to rebuilding or retooling. I think, by and large, just losing and getting high picks and trading away every quality player is a pretty terrible way of managing a team. Lombardi had some pretty underwhelming vets which didn't fit into his team, and he made some moves to bring in the right vets.

But I think if you have a good amount of quality vets, which I believe the Kings have and had, you benefit MORE from letting your players play and learn from the quality vets, to let them adjust their game into the NHL level and letting your vets insulate the youth as they grow.

It's why I was happy for the Danault and Arvidsson acquisitions. More quality players to have young players learning from. And they aren't just plugs to make it easier to lose.

Only took the Kings almost two years to see it that way, too!

I would be a lot more comfortable with this current retool if prospects were being put in positions to succeed and inevitably take over for the vets.

Instead we’ve converted all of our top centers to wingers, Kaliyev and Spence are scratched, and Clarke is beating up on kindergartners while Walker takes his ice time.

The whole “retool” approach usually goes in this direction, though, no matter how well you pull it off. You always wind up with a coach who leans on his vets too much while the prospects never really develop enough to take over the team.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I would be a lot more comfortable with this current retool if prospects were being put in positions to succeed and inevitably take over for the vets.

Instead we’ve converted all of our top centers to wingers, Kaliyev and Spence are scratched, and Clarke is beating up on kindergartners while Walker takes his ice time.

The whole “retool” approach usually goes in this direction, though, no matter how well you pull it off. You always wind up with a coach who leans on his vets too much while the prospects never really develop enough to take over the team.

I'll place any bet that these two and at least 1 1st are traded in the offseason.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Am i watching a different team ,saying QB is timid doesn't jive with what he does on the ice, he is every where on the forecheck and uses his size to separate the puck better every game, if you want him to blow guys up i do not think he ever will do that but he is again only 20 so maybe he develops a mean streak one day but he is more like kopi that way. He is learning in the hardest league to play in in the world and is doing what most wanted here in playing with the big boys and has shown himself pretty well the last 4 to 6 weeks after being put on the first line, his passing is already elite and shows his vision is much better than what was in the pre draft assessment . when he is in the shootout his shot has been awesome but in a small sample size so i think once the game slows down for him a little more he will be fine , maybe not TS level for goal scoring but if he keeps getting better at this rate should still be a 1 or 2 center maybe more thorton like with great assist numbers but hopefully like kopi as the well rounded guy we are hoping for

Now THIS is a big ass sentence with 1 period and 3 comma's.

Most impressive.

 

[Statto]

I would be a lot more comfortable with this current retool if prospects were being put in positions to succeed and inevitably take over for the vets.

Instead we’ve converted all of our top centers to wingers, Kaliyev and Spence are scratched, and Clarke is beating up on kindergartners while Walker takes his ice time.

The whole “retool” approach usually goes in this direction, though, no matter how well you pull it off. You always wind up with a coach who leans on his vets too much while the prospects never really develop enough to take over the team.

That’s the thing with QB… he’s only really been playing in a situation where he can succeed since January (the short spell with Vilardi and Iaffalo apart). When playing with good line mates his development curve has been good. His point production since Jan has been respectable (13pts last 23 games), even if the goals haven’t flowed yet. Since January he’s been a good all around player and whilst we all want more he’s a long way from being our biggest issue right now.

 

[Steve Zissou]

As @Fishhead alluded to Tage Thompson, it took him 4 seasons in the NHL to start to break out, and now he's easily 1 of the top 10 players in the league. He's THAT good.

Will Byfield replicate this kind of success? Who the hell knows, but he's played about 80 games thus far and looks to be starting to figure out how he can have success in this league, wether he's scoring or making plays that lead to goals.

There's no denying that that line has been a +/- machine in the last few months, and a large part of that is his doing.

 

[AbsentMojo]

As @Fishhead alluded to Tage Thompson, it took him 4 seasons in the NHL to start to break out

Thats actually not the worst, it took Hossa 15 years to break out

 

[Herby]

You’ve triggered my “Blake has no plan” automated response.

In all seriousness, though, it’s pretty obvious this regime never wanted to commit to a traditional long form rebuild with a defined core and contention window. They tried to catch lightning in a bottle one last time in 17-19, predictably failed, and then were forced to start selling off veterans.

To his legitimate credit, Blake managed to cobble together a winning team out of last gasp vets, mercenaries, and good prospects. But I’ve never been convinced this was the best path for the long term future of the organization.

In hindsight, it just seems so clear to me what Blake and Luc wanted to do with this team. Yeah, they hit some big speed bumps and traded guys like Carter and Muzzin, but they never gave up on the dream of one last Cup for Kopitar/Doughty.

If the Kings DO manage to win a championship this year or next, hey, give me some of that humble pie. But like you said, the long term future from here seems disjointed at best, directionless at worst.

And that is fine, I am just confused by the continued notion that Byfield was viewed as a long term project that wouldn’t pay dividends for years down the road. I think some fans think that, but I have a hard time thinking the organization felt the same way.

Why would you choose a long-term play over a shorter one in 2020, and then in 2021 decide to try and contend by trading a bunch of 1st rounders/elite prospects for older veteran players? It just seems to me that if they viewed QB the way some fans here do, it would have made sense to either draft Stutzle in 2020 or trade QB for the best 24-26 year old they could get in 21/22.

As @Fishhead alluded to Tage Thompson, it took him 4 seasons in the NHL to start to break out, and now he's easily 1 of the top 10 players in the league. He's THAT good.

Will Byfield replicate this kind of success? Who the hell knows, but he's played about 80 games thus far and looks to be starting to figure out how he can have success in this league, wether he's scoring or making plays that lead to goals.

There's no denying that that line has been a +/- machine in the last few months, and a large part of that is his doing.

And yet, the general consensus here is to break up that line next season, rather than to let it grow into an even more dominant line.

And again, with the Thompson stuff. Doesn’t explain why if QB was 5-7 years away why did the Kings take him over Stutzle, if the plan was to contend in the Kopitar/Doughty window.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

And that is fine, I am just confused by the continued notion that Byfield was viewed as a long term project that wouldn’t pay dividends for years down the road. I think some fans think that, but I have a hard time thinking the organization felt the same way.

Why would you choose a long-term play over a shorter one in 2020, and then in 2021 decide to try and contend by trading a bunch of 1st rounders/elite prospects for older veteran players? It just seems to me that if they viewed QB the way some fans here do, it would have made sense to either draft Stutzle in 2020 or trade QB for the best 24-26 year old they could get in 21/22.


And yet, the general consensus here is to break up that line next season, rather than to let it grow into an even more dominant line.

And again, with the Thompson stuff. Doesn’t explain why if QB was 5-7 years away why did the Kings take him over Stutzle, if the plan was to contend in the Kopitar/Doughty window.

Agreed. Either management didn’t think QB would be a long term project, or they did, and they knowingly made an illogical pick.