Quinton Byfield signed a five-year, $31.25 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. His average annual salary is $6.25 million.
The 21-year-old forward, who was a restricted free agent, set NHL career highs in goals (20), assists (35) and points (55) in 80 regular-season games last season. He also had four assists in five Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“You know what, I’m just happy to be an LA King for the next five years,” Byfield said Tuesday. “There were a couple of contracts on the line, and I think we always came to an agreement that it was the best deal for both parties. And when that time comes, I hope that time never comes, I want to be an LA King for the rest of my life.”
Selected by Los Angeles with the second overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Byfield has 88 points (28 goals, 60 assists) in 179 regular-season games and eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 13 playoff games.
Byfield, a natural center who played wing on the first line with the center Anze Kopitar And Adrien Kempe last season, will return to center this season.
“I’m really excited about it,” Byfield said. “It’s almost like a new challenge coming back to centre, but I’ve played there my whole life. Playing with and next to ‘Kopi’, playing with Phil (Danault) too, just watching those guys, how responsible they are in the defensive zone, how they take care of the back end, both sides of the puck, faceoffs and everything, I feel like I’ve learned a lot from them. And when I come back to centre, I kind of model my game after them and take a piece of their game.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Dan Greenspan contributed to this report
