Los Angeles Kings center Quinton Byfield has gone through quite the physical strain in the final half of the 2025-26 NHL regular season. However, that didn't stop him from finishing the year strong.
At the end of the season, oftentimes players will be asked if they have been playing through any knocks or injuries in the playoffs or in the season before they get the summer to recover.
The Los Angeles Kings held their end-of-season presser on Wednesday, for the players at least. In this final media availability for the campaign, Kings center Quinton Byfield revealed that he dealt with a pair of serious injuries beyond the halfway mark of the regular season.
After the Olympic break in February, Byfield suffered a torn oblique on his right side, which is a tear in the abdominal muscles, usually caused by sudden twisting motions, among other actions.
Byfield's misfortune didn't end there because once his right-sided oblique tear healed, he received the same injury on his left side.
Multiple sources say that an oblique tear takes weeks to heal, and for athletes to return to action, it could take up to six weeks or more.
However, though Byfield's body has gone through much distress, the 23-year-old only missed three regular-season contests this past season.
Furthermore, Byfield went on to play his best hockey this year in the final stretch of the campaign.
In his last 16 games of the regular season, the Newmarket, Ont., native recorded 11 goals and 16 points, leading the Kings in scoring during that span.
Also, in the last 15 games of the year, Byfield had 11 goals, which had him tied for third in the NHL in that stretch. He was scoring at a similar rate to Nikita Kucherov, Macklin Celebrini, Connor McDavid and Cole Caufield at the time.
He went on to reach a new career high in goals, totalling 24 tallies, along with 25 assists for 49 points in 79 appearances. Not to mention, he set a new personal best in average ice time, logging 20:01 per game, reaching the 20-minute mark average for the first time in his young NHL career.
To go through the physical toll and strain of two oblique tears, Byfield's finish to the 2025-26 season was rather impressive.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.