Quinton Byfield is stepping into the middle of the Los Angeles Kings’ biggest change in years, with Anze Kopitar’s retirement leaving the club without its longtime first-line center and captain. The 24-year-old has not declared the job won outright, but he has made clear he wants to become the player the Kings lean on.
“It is a huge hole for our group,” Byfield said. “You cannot replace everything he brought with one player. The entire team has to handle the impact he had during games and as a leader away from the rink. It is strange knowing he will not be there, and we are definitely going to miss him.”
Kopitar retired in April after Los Angeles was swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference First Round. The departure ends an era for the Kings and opens a larger role for Byfield, who has spent recent seasons learning alongside the veteran center.
Byfield knows opportunity and responsibility arrive together.
“A lot of guys will need to take a step, but for me, I absolutely want to be that guy,” he said. “I still have to earn it.”
Early signs on the top unit
Los Angeles will host the Florida Panthers in its home opener Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. The game will be carried by ESPN and SN+.
Byfield enters the night with a goal and an assist after the Kings’ 5-4 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. He centered Artemi Panarin on the left side and Adrian Kempe on the right, and the new trio gave Los Angeles plenty of push despite the loss.
Panarin and Kempe each recorded a goal and an assist against San Jose. The line accounted for 14 of the Kings’ 35 shots, with Byfield putting four attempts on net. He also won 13 of 20 faceoffs and led all players with 22:40 of ice time.
Kempe saw a center beginning to assert himself in the game.
“He takes control when he is out there,” Kempe said. “He is a big player who can make every kind of play, and he has a really good shot. It was good to see him get on the scoresheet because that can help him build confidence — shoot more, make plays, do both. I really liked his game.”
For Kempe, the standard is not merely production. The Kings need Byfield to drive shifts, speak up and handle the details that came naturally to Kopitar.
“Keep doing what he has been doing,” Kempe said. “Communicate, take ownership on the ice, talk on the bench and talk during play. Those are the biggest things.”
Kempe added that Byfield has shown command before draws, played responsibly at both ends and put together a strong training camp. The winger said the room is eager to see what that work produces over a full season.
Consistency remains the next step
Byfield finished last season with 24 goals and 25 assists in 79 games, placing second on the Kings with 49 points. Kempe led Los Angeles with 73 points, including 36 goals and 37 assists. Byfield added two assists over four playoff games.
His 2023-24 campaign remains his best NHL season statistically, when he posted 20 goals and 35 assists for 55 points. He wants to push beyond those totals, but sees steadier play as the path there.
“For me, it comes down to consistency,” Byfield said. “There have been stretches where I go cold, then stretches where I get really hot. I want to be more consistent for the team while still not giving up chances defensively.”
That balance is central to Los Angeles’ plans under new coach Peter Laviolette, hired June 9. The Kings averaged 2.68 goals per game last season, ranking 29th in the NHL, and Byfield believes Laviolette’s more attacking approach can help unlock a group that has too often played from its heels.
“We have done a lot of sitting back,” Byfield said. “As a forward, and coming from junior where I was more focused on offense, that adjustment has been challenging. You are waiting instead of attacking. It will be fun to get back to being on the attack, while still keeping the right balance.”
Playoff urgency has not gone away
Byfield’s larger challenge is not limited to replacing regular-season offense or taking tougher matchups. The Kings are trying to break a frustrating postseason pattern.
Los Angeles won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, but every playoff trip since has ended in the opening round. Colorado ended last season with a sweep, while Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers knocked out the Kings in each of the previous four years.
Byfield said the Kings have often held control in games and even in portions of series, only to let small mistakes change the flow.
“There are little lapses that hand momentum back, and suddenly those little things become major,” he said. “Then we are playing on our heels.”
He pointed to the danger of allowing a player such as McDavid to repeatedly attack with speed and possession through a long series. Los Angeles cannot reduce its shortcomings to one issue, Byfield said, but it must learn from the recurring breakdowns and play with more initiative.
The Kings’ new first-line center role will demand exactly that. Byfield is embracing the added ice time, the chance to play with high-end teammates and the expectation that comes with becoming one of the club’s primary engines.
“There is a lot to be excited about,” he said. “It is more opportunity and a bigger role.”
