Patience is a virtue that is sometimes difficult to cultivate, but which can lead to great things. Let’s take the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings selected Quinton Byfield second overall in the 2020 draft. Even though the young man stands at 6’5″ and 225 lbs, he took time to adjust to the NHL.
After two seasons of going back and forth between the National League and the American League as well as dealing with “viruses or injuries”, here he is this season on the Kings’ first line alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, with 18 points in 22 games. In other words, Byfield is “exploding” offensively this season, as the popular expression goes.
“It meets our expectations. He needed patience, just like us. But he’s a good student too,” said Kings head coach Todd McLellan after his team’s practice at the CN Complex in Brossard on Wednesday.
You would think that a physically imposing player would adapt more easily to the best league in the world. However, it is not as simple as it may seem.
“Big players, like Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton, need time,” recalls McLellan. They’re dragging a big body. Small, explosive skaters tend to hatch faster. »
Several of Byfield’s teammates made much the same speech. Phillip Danault, for example, saw the evolution between last year’s Byfield and this year’s. A more mature and, necessarily, more equipped Byfield.
“I think it’s hard before you’re 21 or 22 to find your niche in the NHL. In addition, he is so big that his body is not developed. It’s harder. It gets pushed more easily. There, he is solid, he has found his niche, he is fast, he plays well offensively. »
As McLellan mentioned, it wasn’t just the organization that had to be patient, but also the player himself. Byfield admits he had to deal with the pressure of being a second overall pick, but “you have to look at it positively,” he says. “If there’s no pressure, then there’s something you’re not doing right. »
The young man has, moreover, never doubted his ability to adapt to the big league.
“I didn’t really have any doubt that I could play here, be a good player,” he says bluntly. Above all, it’s about maintaining this confidence throughout the process. When it starts to work, it’s satisfying. »
The young Ontarian also finds himself in a trio with one of his childhood idols in Anze Kopitar, whom he describes as a “model”. But his success can only be associated with the players with whom he shares the ice, words of goaltender Cam Talbot.
“It definitely helps, but he also has to be able to think about the game on the same level as them. Obviously, he’s doing a good job at that level because they not only lead the team offensively, but they’re also our best line defensively. »
Indeed, Byfield and Kopitar both have a differential of 13, while Kempe’s is 14. All three are in the top 12 in the NHL in this regard. “Q is a big part of that,” Talbot contends. He protects the puck well, he is fast, powerful, he jumps on pucks. There are only good things to say about the way his game has developed. »
Comparisons between Byfield and young Canadian forward Juraj Slafkovsky are inevitable. Slafkovsky, the first overall pick in 2022, is taking a little longer than some would like to adjust to the National League level.
The market in which the two players operate is very different, an element to take into consideration, according to Todd McLellan.
“You don’t get drafted first overall by chance,” he emphasized. But there is a big adaptation when you play in Canada, especially when you look at this group [of journalists] today. Quinton didn’t have that in LA. Leon and Connor were facing this in Edmonton. The young person finds himself under the magnifying glass. Sometimes it’s fair, but sometimes it’s unfair. »
“I don’t know the young man personally, I don’t know how he’s made, but I know that if he continues to work on his strengths and works with the Canadiens coaches, he will become quite the hockey player . »
