QB's next Contract (Extended 5 yrs)
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LAKingSteve
Super Star
If he has a handful of great seasons before it's over, looks like a great contract. If he fails to live up to potential, maybe not so much. I'll go with the former. Kid has talent.
symbology
TEAM LGK
QB won this deal. Not by a landslide, nothing close to that. However, the young man did very well for himself.
QB will be up for a new deal in his prime @ 27 years old instead of at the age of 30. If he plays to the level that we all hope he will, he will be making serious dough.
Would have been nice if Blake was able to buy a few for UFA years, or have it expire just before the last RFA year.
Blake did not really lose per se, but somebody has to win.
DoubleMinor
Top Forward
So there was talk of various scenarios with this QB contract. Was it going to be 8 Yrs-8M, 5-6 Yrs-6M, or a couple years at 4M.
With Kings only having about 9M in cap space before a deal, this realistically was the best (or most) the Kings could really do.
Kings still need to sign Spence which is guaranteed now (1-2M ?) but it would have been a real mess if QB had gotten more.
Based on Byfields numbers so far, this is overpayment. One 20-goal season. Of course Byfield really improved this past season, the ceiling is very high and we know the challenges QB has dealt with.
Who knows where Byfield ends up numbers-wise through this contract. But the consensus is we’ve only started to see the tip of the iceberg.
I think it’s a great deal. I’m excited to see Byfield at Center.
As I said at the beginning, this is overpayment now, but we expect (or hope) this will be a bargain in a few years.
What do we need numbers-wise from Byfield over the next five years for this to be as good a deal as we think it is?
symbology
TEAM LGK
Yeah, there really is no bad deal, just some better than others. This one is better for QB vs an 8 year deal. This one is probably worse for the Kings than a 3 year deal. Whatcha going to do?????
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Bollocks
Top Forward
Yes and no. Depends how you look at it.
If QB avoids being glassy and ends up a long term franchise forward we all hope him to become, having to sign his big contract @27 means he'll get paid top dollar until he's 34/35, at which point he should still be just as effective, maybe overpaid for a year at the end.
If Rob bought let's say 2 of his UFA years now, that means his cap hit would probably be closer to 8 million now and his next contract would last until he's 36/37, with likely the same cap hit, making his overpaid years last 2 years longer. That kind of contract would also bear bigger risk if he plateaus way too early...
From a short and long term standpoint this deal is just as much a win for the Kings, too.
QB being a bit of a late bloomer (considering his ceiling) definitely helped here...
symbology
TEAM LGK
I agree, but anything close to 8mil would need 8 years IMO.
And I have been looking at it through my left eye. How about you?
Statue4Deano
Super Star
Locking him into a 5 year deal is the win. It’s cost certainty that extends past the back breaking Kopitar and Doughty contracts. A 5 year deal at this number gives the team lots of flexibility especially as the cap goes up.
This is an excellent payday for QB but this is a clear win for the organization.
$6.25MM AAV for an RFA is not a win for Blake, especially when he'll be a UFA at 27 when players begin to hit their peak. Another loss for Blake. But he won't be around when this contract is up, so he doesn't have to worry about that. This lineup is full of overpaid players.
xcheck
Top Forward
This is a great deal. The Kopi and Doughty contracts end in the next few years. No way they are worth the current earnings level when those contracts come due. That's $18M per year. Kings should be able to extend those contracts (if at all) for much less than the $18M they currently cost. I know there are other players that need to be signed. But if QB outperforms, there should be cap space in a few years to sign him to an extension for more money.
symbology
TEAM LGK
That is a possibility, and that would mean this deal was a pretty good "L" for the Kings.
Its only an overpayment from the analysis of "whats the cheapest we can sign this player for to keep his rights". For a future relationship as you rightly noted in your post you're doing this with a plan for investing in a future for both parties.
Bare minimum at 6 million as a center there's a great comp already on the team thats been performing in Danault. If anyone thinks he's overpaid then I don't know who they expect to sign to any deals. His stats as a king for comparison (note as an established vet)
So we're talking 5 years, Danault is bumping along at a clip to 100 goals and 150 assists. That seems a solid bare minimum points level with no other context. For this deal to make a hell of a lot of sense that should be outperformed in more than just production. Would it be a tragedy if that's what Q topped out as? No, he would be a bonafide number 2 center in the NHL, that's top 60'ish in the world. It would seem like there was something on the table that could have been though.
symbology
TEAM LGK
I agree, it is kind of a loss for the Kings. However, considering the "Cap" deck that Blake dealt himself going long term was probably an issue.
IMO, Going 3 years could have been great for the Kings, it would have set them up with the ability to go long term with QB and buy up more UFA years and insure that they had QB in his prime.
Going long term now would have been better, but Blake did not leave himself enough Cap to make that deal and have any $ left over.
This is not the greatest deal, but it could easily work out for both sides. If for what ever reason QB wants out of LA after this deal is over (a possibility if the team keeps being run the way it has been) then yeah, a big "L" for Blake. However, if Blake was to take the cap savings on this QB deal and put that towards icing a better team and the Kings actually "contend" for a cup. It could be seen as a win even if QB leaves at the age of 27. However, if the team is a contender I cannot see QB wanting to go.
It is all a bit of a crapshoot.
DoubleMinor
Top Forward
I think this is right. I also thought of Danault as a comparison, strictly based on production.
IF Byfield puts up 80-90 point seasons this is a steal. Even if he is 65-75 it’s a solid deal. As you say #2 Centers don’t come cheap.
I know there has been some criticism about the length of this deal. But there just wasn’t enough cap space to go longer in term or higher in salary.
Once this deal ends the Kings will have shed the big contracts of Kopi and Drew, the Cap will increase and there should be plenty of money and space to give Byfield his payday, if warranted.
This contract is paying Byfield to be the #2 Center. If he ends up as that it’s a very fair deal. If he is a #1 C we got a bargain. If he’s a #3 then it’s good he didn’t get 8/8.
LMAO remember the LGK uproar because we signed Danault after his amazing Stanley Cup run in 2020-2021 and clearly people didn't watch him play? "HE ONLY SCORED 5 GOALS!!!"
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