NHL's Top Issues Facing the L.A. Kings: Byfield's Growth, Kuemper's Impact and GM's Risk

The Los Angeles Kings have a few discussion topics that will affect their place in the NHL standings, including Quinton Byfield's growth and goalie Darcy Kuemper's impact.

Both sides probably would have preferred an eight-year deal, but it was going to cost a lot more. This deal will have the young forward in camp on Day 1, where he belongs.

You’re reading the newest edition of THN.com’s continuing series, in which we examine the key issues facing every NHL team.

We’re now focusing on three burning questions about the Los Angeles Kings that could affect the rest of the NHL.

1. Can young star center Quinton Byfield build on his breakout year?

Byfield posted 20 goals and 55 points in 80 games last season, his first full NHL campaign.

At age 22, he’s nowhere close to his prime, and Kings GM Rob Blake quickly rewarded Byfield for his breakout year, signing him to a five-year, $31.25-million contract extension this summer.

Byfield’s new annual average value of $6.25 million ratchets up the expectations on him in 2024-25 and beyond.

He will be in the top six again for the Kings, potentially on the wing of Anze Kopitar or as the second-line center.

Can Byfield generate even more offense in ‘24-25? Absolutely. Perhaps he could become a point-per-game player this coming year or close to it. Byfield is the closest thing the Kings have to a generational talent up front who's on the rise. As he continues to evolve, his points will reflect how crucial he is to Los Angeles’ chances of thriving and winning the third Stanley Cup in franchise history.

2. Will new Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper improve on Cam Talbot's individual numbers last year?

Although Talbot wasn’t a superstar for the Kings last season, he did put up solid stats, including a .913 save percentage and 2.50 goals-against average in 54 appearances.

That would be a team-best set of numbers on most NHL teams, including the Washington Capitals team Kuemper played on in 2023-24 before he was traded to the Kings in June's Pierre-Luc Dubois blockbuster deal.

Indeed, Kuemper’s 3.31 goals-against average and .890 save percentage with the Capitals last season left much to be desired, especially given his $5.25-million cap hit, which runs for the next three seasons.

The 34-year-old Kuemper will be playing behind a Kings defense corps that had some of the fewest goals against last season but lost the respectable Matt Roy. Although they've replaced him with Joel Edmundson, the Kings didn't quite replace the players they lost on offense and defense to suggest they'll be as good defensively next season.

Although Kuemper should improve on last season's numbers, it’s more of a stretch to argue he’ll be close to or better than Talbot was in ‘24-25. Kuemper’s pedigree as a Cup champion gives him a little more runway strip to stick the landing this coming year, but if you’re looking for a guaranteed high-end netminder, you’re probably looking in the wrong place by looking at Kuemper.

3. As the Kings added toughness to the roster this summer, has GM Rob Blake sacrificed too much skill?

There’s been a lot of turnover in Kings Land this off-season, with Talbot, Dubois, Carl Grundstrom, Matt Roy and Viktor Arvidsson all moving on via trades or free agency. Replacing them are Kuemper, Edmundson and forwards Warren Foegele and Tanner Jeannot.

Does that sound like the recipe for a team to improve on their third-place finish in the Pacific Division last season? It doesn’t to this writer.

In fact, with a significantly better Central Division – and given that the Kings finished just one standings point ahead of Vegas in the Pacific – it’s entirely possible the Kings don’t make the playoffs at all this coming year.

Perhaps Blake is correct in creating a more robustly physical group by adding a hitting machine in Jeannot, a two-way checking forward in Foegele and a D-man who does the dirty work in Edmundson. But as good as Kopitar still is, this isn’t an organization with a Connor Bedard or Sidney Crosby-level talent to build around.

The Kings must manufacture their wins with a total team effort, and the moves Blake made don’t convince us that they'll be an improved bunch this year, just a more physical bunch. If they step backward in the standings, the Kings and Blake could be in for much more significant changes next year.

Toughness does play a role in any team’s success, but it feels like the Kings have gone too far in that regard rather than adding to their offense. We’ll see if Blake’s risk pays off, but for the moment, we’re skeptical it will.

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