Byfield

rinkrat

rinkrat

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Via Bernstein on X

LAK Todd McLellan on how Quinton Byfield can improve his goal scoring this season. A detailed response:

"We'll get him to reestablish what he did really well the second half of last season. He's was a key piece on a really good line because he had some tenacity, was a really good forechecker -- one of the better ones on our team. He created a lot of loose pucks for his teammates."

"He has a foundation he can go to and feel confident. We expect more from him (in goal scoring) and he expects more from himself. A little of that is confidence, some of that is shooting the puck quicker, not feeling obligated to dish off to other really good players - that can be intimidating at times. Sometimes players can be too respectful."
 
I am sure that his points totals will improve this year. The question is by how much. I think he is going to have a pretty good year. Think Kempe when he finally broke out (not saying he will get 35 goals, just that there will be a significant jump to his game when he figures it out).

For what it is worth, I was a go with Stutzle guy at the draft and was kind of bummed about going QB at #2. That being said, QB has become one of my favorite players. Just something about his demeanor, attitude, etc.... I like the kid and hopes he becomes a stud for the Kings. The brain is there, the skill is there, so is the desire. I am looking forward to when he puts it all together.

More of this please......





 
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rinkrat said:
dish off to other really good players - that can be intimidating at times. Sometimes players can be too respectful."
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I rapped on Byfield hard last season - I really do hope he increases pace this year. This quote directly was my biggest gripe with his game, at least in regards to scoring goals. He'd get grade A chances and look for the pass or kind of have this "get it away from me as fast as possible" thing with the puck that I'd never really seen before. I hope he's gained some confidence to shoot.
 
He also had an off-the-charts low shooting %. I think he'll pot around 20 this season and 50-60 points. He pulled off some plays last season which very, very few players in the NHL are capable of making. He's ready to take the next step.
 
Goaltending will be interesting. I think I'll be forever salty that Copley didn't start the playoffs. I'll be very interested in seeing if he puts up a similar win/loss ratio this year, as that was unreal. I suppose also it'll be the typical tandem thing, which seems commonplace today.
 
Pevsfreedom said:
Goaltending will be interesting. I think I'll be forever salty that Copley didn't start the playoffs. I'll be very interested in seeing if he puts up a similar win/loss ratio this year, as that was unreal. I suppose also it'll be the typical tandem thing, which seems commonplace today.
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I'm a Copley fan, but I worry that the team's mindset in front of him may have been a large part of his win% last year. The Kings seemed to play differently in front of Copley. Not that they didn't have confidence in him, but the fact that Quick and Peterson were Swiss cheese and seemed to have had lost the confidence of the team, that he may have benefited from a drilled-in "if I don't stop this shot the goalie sure as hell won't" reflex from their time with JQ+CP, but with him in net more confidence that they played better, a bit more aggressive but still had that reflex... if any of that makes sense.

I dunno, he just seemed to make them play better, and this is my professional armchair psychoanalysis to explain it.
 
symbology said:
For what it is worth, I was a go with Stutzle guy at the draft and was kind of bummed about going QB at #2. That being said, QB has become one of my favorite players. Just something about his demeanor, attitude, etc.... I like the kid and hopes he becomes a stud for the Kings. The brain is there, the skill is there, so is the desire. I am looking forward to when he puts it all together.

More of this please......

if you compare pts for Stutzle and an injury season for Byfield plus missed alot games due to covid. They are pretty close. I believed then and I believe now he is going to be the player we are waiting for. I got his jersey when he was drafted. He’s just growing into his body. I remember the first season, he was as soft as charmin. Last season Kopi and Kempe benefited from him. He improved a lot last season. This season now with having Pierre Luc Dubois, we are force to be reckoned with. If we can get a solid PK and better goaltending…. Lookout, here come our Kings! Go Kings Go!
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SaltyPuck said:
I'm a Copley fan, but I worry that the team's mindset in front of him may have been a large part of his win% last year. The Kings seemed to play differently in front of Copley. Not that they didn't have confidence in him, but the fact that Quick and Peterson were Swiss cheese and seemed to have had lost the confidence of the team, that he may have benefited from a drilled-in "if I don't stop this shot the goalie sure as hell won't" reflex from their time with JQ+CP, but with him in net more confidence that they played better, a bit more aggressive but still had that reflex... if any of that makes sense.

I dunno, he just seemed to make them play better, and this is my professional armchair psychoanalysis to explain it.
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I do completely agree - I don't think Copley is necessarily some undiscovered superstar, but in the bubble of the 2nd half of last year I think the team absolutely warmed to his presence and allowed him to get such a dominating win/loss percentage. I think ruining that momentum by swapping to a ringer for the playoffs was a terrible decision, especially with the whole Quick debacle, but it's all said and done with and I hope they don't try to do the same this year if Copley just keeps winning. I'm of the camp that the only team stat that matters is wins, I don't care about save % or GAA if the dude wins.
 
Pevsfreedom said:
I do completely agree - I don't think Copley is necessarily some undiscovered superstar, but in the bubble of the 2nd half of last year I think the team absolutely warmed to his presence and allowed him to get such a dominating win/loss percentage. I think ruining that momentum by swapping to a ringer for the playoffs was a terrible decision, especially with the whole Quick debacle, but it's all said and done with and I hope they don't try to do the same this year if Copley just keeps winning. I'm of the camp that the only team stat that matters is wins, I don't care about save % or GAA if the dude wins.
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Copley always looked to give them the save they needed when they needed to win the game. Most of his wins were 1-goal games, but they were always in it with him.

If they played extra well in front of him because it’d be tight then great. Everyone is better. Hindsight but I look back at Korpi and how awesome he was in games 1-3 and then how his play fell off a bit of a cliff. That had to throw them off, and being the playoffs they had no time to adjust.
 
As weird as it sounds, I don't see Byfield getting to 20 goals this season while playing with Kempe and Kopi. Instead I'd project him to put up more Iaffalo-type numbers of ~15 goals and ~40 points while playing hard off the puck (which would still be a big step forward). I don't really see him starting to takeoff offensively until he graduates to centering his own line.
 
Clif said:
Ha I see your point.

Probably because the only thing to say about Byfield is either that he’s a bust or that he’s still young.
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This. I think bust, but, I hope I'm wrong. I'd love to see him play into his body's capabilities (size) and gain a lot of confidence this year. If it doesn't come in points then whatever, but he's gotta get some forward momentum going - which I do think started gaining a bit towards the end of last season.
 
The incredibly exciting thing, to me, is that we truly do have all of these latently high skilled players already in the fold and we are in a position to be able to have genuine high expectations rather than a stable of mediocre players with only a few exciting prospects amongst them. Rob Blake, love him or hate him has certainly assembled an amazingly promising cast to act out our NHL drama over the coming season. Let's hope coach McLellan and his team can fine tune the overall group and enable them to realise their potential and we to savour and enjoy all of the excitement and happiness they portend for us all at the LA Kings.
 
F**e_Off said:
The incredibly exciting thing, to me, is that we truly do have all of these latently high skilled players already in the fold and we are in a position to be able to have genuine high expectations rather than a stable of mediocre players with only a few exciting prospects amongst them. Rob Blake, love him or hate him has certainly assembled an amazingly promising cast to act out our NHL drama over the coming season. Let's hope coach McLellan and his team can fine tune the overall group and enable them to realise their potential and we to savour and enjoy all of the excitement and happiness they portend for us all at the LA Kings.
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We'll see. I get worried draft pick wise. I've been impressed by trades, with Fiala and PLD. Regardless, it should be an exciting year, and I think a crucial one for both Blake and Toddfather.. and Byfield to stay on topic as I can drift away :D
 
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