The Los Angeles Kings spent a lot of assets and money to try and increase their center depth this summer, and as it turns out, the answer might have been in-house all along.

After being moved onto Anze Kopitar's wing last season, Quinton Byfield found the longest stretch of sustained success in the NHL, culminating in a breakout start to this season.

Now, in an effort to get newly acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois going, Byfield is back to the middle and looks like a duck in water.

Or in Byfield's words, riding a tricycle.

I talked at length about why I liked this move on Friday and it was nice to see the positives play out for Byfield in game.

The opportunity to be the main force on his line looked to fit him well. He's playing with a confidence and purpose we haven't seen from him in the NHL and it pays off well up the middle.

He was driving play and carrying the load for his line.

It also can't be understated how impactful the ability to swing low in the defensive zone and pick up the puck with speed is for Byfield.

When he gets a head of steam, he is nearly unstoppable and this move allows him to get that head of steam frequently.

The only thing that can stop Byfield through the neutral zone is Byfield himself bobbling the puck and losing it.

He also looked much stronger in the defensive zone than he has in the past.

Some of that is confidence, but a lot of it is his increased physical maturity. He's now able to win battles in the corner and fight in front of the net in a way he couldn't before.

He's also a player who has the legs to get up and down the ice with ease. He doesn't have to worry about getting caught down low in the offensive zone and not being able to recover defensively.

He eats up ground well enough to be a high-energy player across all 200 feet.

One thing worth noting is how Todd McLellan utilized Byfield in this game. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, Byfield's line had 83% of their faceoffs in the offensive zone.

With just one defensive zone start and five offensive zone starts, Byfield was being sheltered by McLellan and his staff.

It makes sense to do this for Byfield's first game back at center in over a year, and it will take time for Byfield to earn the trust of his coaching staff.

He was a respectable 50% in the faceoff circle too, which might give the staff a little more confidence in starting him in more situations moving forward.

You never want to overreact to one game, and Byfield needs to string together a few games playing this well at center. 

However, it's hard not to get excited by the prospect of Byfield making the switch back to center full-time and excelling there.

He was drafted to be the heir apparent to Kopitar and he's slowly looking like that player now.

Again, there's a long way to go before that becomes a reality, but Byfield is on his way.

Perhaps a bigger question is how long McLellan keeps Byfield at center. He's tinkered with the top six in the past but always seems to bring them back together after a few games.

This move feels like it could be more permanent though, with Dubois struggling at center and Byfield looking comfortable at center.

It's also exciting to think about Byfield playing with more talented wingers in the future.

No offense to Alex Laferriere and Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who played well on Saturday, but they aren't of the same caliber as an Adrian Kempe or Kevin Fiala.

When Byfield gets on a line with players like that, watch out, he could emerge fully as a star.