Kings Being Rewarded For Patient Development of Quinton Byfield

For now, Byfield is silencing his critics. There are no more ifs, ands, or buts with Byfield, he's a genuine impact player in the NHL.

For most of his career up to this point, the excitement surrounding Quinton Byfield from Los Angeles Kings fans has come from the prospect of what he could become—his potential ceiling, not what he was producing on the ice.

His early career has been filled with a lot of buts. 

"He's doing the little things right, but the production isn't there. He hasn't fulfilled his potential yet but is still so young." 

Those kinds of comments have plagued his first few seasons in Los Angeles and it was difficult to refute them.

No matter how you cut it, Byfield wasn't living up to expectations. His three goals last season, regardless of context, simply weren't good enough and his 22 points were a disappointment as well.

Fans who were beginning to, or already had, lost their faith in Byfield were within their right to do so. 

Despite the struggles, those who still believed in Byfield were preaching patience, which is now paying off. 

His 21 points in 23 games place him fifth in the league among under-22 players. While his 0.91 points per game place him second in the same group (of players with more than five games.)

The only player his age or younger who is outperforming Byfield's production is Tim Stutzle, but Byfield's +14 is five better than Stutzle's +9.

Of course, this isn't the first time patience has paid off for the Kings. Gabe Vilardi broke out at 23 years old last season and Adrian Kempe didn't breakout until his fifth season at 25 years old. 

Still, the organization, and Todd McLellan, deserve a lot of credit for their patient approach to Byfield.

At no point did they panic that their second-overall pick wasn't dominating the league and they weren't concerned about the pick after Byfield turning into a superstar. 

They stayed the course and have allowed Byfield to become the player he is right now. 

Of course, the player he's become can't be his peak. He needs to show consistency in his play and sustain this kind of production for 82 games and into the postseason. 

He'll also need to move back to center if he is going to truly fulfill his draft expectations. A natural move when Kopitar can no longer be the team's number-one center.

For now, Byfield is silencing his critics. There are no more ifs, ands, or buts with Byfield, he's a genuine impact player in the NHL.

As with Kempe and Vilardi, patience has paid off for the Kings and they're reaping the rewards once again.