Russell Morgan Quinton Byfield’s breakout season couldn’t have come at a better time, not only for concerned LA Kings fans but for the player due for a pay raise this summer.
Coming off a year with inexistent roster flexibility due to salary cap constraints, general manager Rob Blake heads into an offseason with work at hand. First on the agenda is whether to sign his young forward to a long-term extension or a bridge deal.
Build the “bridge”
The idea of a “bridge” contract essentially points to asset management. Players who have not met the requirements to become unrestricted free agents after their entry-level contracts expire assume the title of restricted free agent (RFA).
As an RFA, you may only sign with the team that controls your rights, unless presented with an offer sheet. But that’s a whole other can of worms we rarely see anymore (though they are fun).
So as it pertains to the LA Kings and Quinton Byfield, he won’t reach unrestricted free agent (UFA) status until 2028, according to Puckpedia.com. With that being the case, a bridge deal to preserve his RFA status is intriguing.
Long term deal
A long-term contract extension is another route Rob Blake can take. If he feels Byfield can become the player he was projected when drafted with the second overall pick in 2020, then signing the 21-year-old to a long-term deal isn’t a gamble.
It’s a route many teams have taken in the past with their young stars. Last year, the Minnesota Wild signed 2019 draft pick Matt Boldy to a seven-year contract at a $7 million AAV. Boldy, who was 21 at the time of the extension similar to Byfield, finished with 63 points on the season and upped that mark to 69 points this year. A good sign for Wild fans.
Contract Projections
Evolvinghockey.com projects a bridge contract for Quinton Byfield at 2-3 years around $3-$4 million per season, while they view a long-term extension at 7-8 years around $6 million per, although I expect that number to be closer to $7-$8 million.
Seeing the cap troubles the LA Kings find themselves in, the short-term option gives Rob Blake more flexibility to upgrade the roster, especially with Anze Kopitar’s $7 million per year contract on the books for the next two seasons.
However, if Byfield continues on this upward trajectory, his contract following a bridge deal could garner $10+ million. That’s why I lean more toward the long-term side of this discussion.
I have full confidence in Quinton Byfield developing into a top-line forward for Los Angeles. The higher salary in the first few years will make it difficult to upgrade the roster, but the value of his $7-$8M cap hit in the later portion of the contract given his expected production will provide the Kings a ton of value.
The byfield ext needs to work with the kings cup window. The cup window for this team is hard to define. Is the window opening or is it shutting? Is there even a cup window for this team in the present?
If byfield signs an 8y deal now then he is untradeable. It’s self evident the long term contract is the wrong play.
Another thing to consider is the current talent. Kopitar is STILL the best player on this team. He is under contract for two more years, and therefore the window could logically be determined at 2 years. That being said, if 39 year old kopitar is your best player you are not winning a Stanley cup.
I don’t think Byfield will ever be as solid or as good as Kopitar is right now at age 38/39. The right move for Byfield is for the Kings to take the least risky route. Therefore a 3yr bridge deal makes the most sense.
To add, byfield isn’t a 8Mx8y Tim stutzle or a Matt boldy. Those teams have their own issues and strengths and it made sense to sign those guys long term.
My ultimate solution- trade byfield + to Minnesota for Kaprisov. This means you have to sign Byfield to a deal that makes his contract more attractive to other suitors. If you don’t then you can’t trade him and if you can’t trade him when what is the point of signing him to that long term deal.