If Byfield was to move,

1) LA would easily match that
2) MTL would put up the best offer with Guhle and the #6 😉

1) At $9.5M it's not easy at all. Goalie, RHD would be in a bad spot if they did. The 4th line would be $775k.

2) Kings would pass

Byfield signs the OS as it takes him to UFA at 27. Montreal would be wiser to keep on going as is. Need a few more years before the young guys turn the franchise around.

1) Byfield extension is already going to be between 8-9M AAV. They’re not going to let him walk because they don’t want to pay 1M more in AAV.. He’s a stud. And Roy is already probably going to walk. Thank the PLD contract for that one. Try between 10-11M AAV if you really want to get the 21yr old out of L.A.

2) Kings could pass on that one, just because another talented forward wouldn’t come back in the deal. But the value would be fair/what they’re looking for. They would then draft a crazy talented foward with the #6 like Demidov or Lindstrom and then would also bet Guhle. Imagine a Clarke-Guhle pair. Losing Roy wouldn’t hurt at all because you just got Guhle and Clarke is going to be full time nhler next szn.

3) We are way more ready than what everyone thinks. We’re going to aim for the playoffs next year. With Suzuki Dach Slafkovsky Caufield Reinbacher Newhook Guhle Hutson and the #5 overall + another trade like the Newhook one ( Necas?). We loaded the prospect pool this last 3 drafts. We can already win big games Vs Big teams. We learned and took experience, the pieces are assembling. We don’t need few more years, it’s time. With Cayden Lindstrom at #5, our team could look like :


Lindstrom ( #5) - Dach - Slafkovsky
Caufield - Suzuki - Necas (Newhook/Dach trade expected
Newhook - Dvorak - Anderson
RHP - Evans - Roy

Matheson - Guhle
Hutson - Reinbacher
Xhekaj - Savard

Monty
Primeau

Hutson and Reinbacher probably make the team.

The Kings can't give him a big deal and stay competitive. They are a wild card team and if they lose Roy, their depth and sign another mediocre goalie, it will be worse by going long on Byfield. They need him to bridge and then adjust Doughty and Kopitar cap hits when they expire and then go long on Byfield. It's pretty known from King fans on this site.

I know Montreal has many talented prospects but it's going to be a few years before competitive. That's all I said... Lol

Anderson Gally Savard Matheson will all be gone unless they run Guhle RHD but that pair hasn't been very good.

Lindstrom is talented but will not be NHL ready next season. Dach off a serious knee injury will need time. Reinbacher, Hutson and Mailloix all need time to develop. It won't be next year.

Just because L.A is in a win now mode, expect Byfield to sign a bridge. 2yr bridge and deal will end at the same time as Kopitar’s. Will save money and could spend elsewhere. Yeah it’s makes sense.

I see us being in the same situation as Detroit/Buffalo next year. Just shy of the playoffs. But we actually could squeeze in, just because we didn’t tank these past 2years and we played at full capacity every game, not like ANA CHI or SJ. We set a winning culture.

Agree Lindstrom isn’t NHL ready, but the Habs sent Slafkovsky directly to the NHL after the draft. And both players are extremely similar. If we draft him, I think he could go to Laval.

Matheson is going to stay when we will be competitive. ( very soon ). For Anderson, it depends if he shows us the player he was during that cup run, he would be more than helpful and wouldn’t mind keeping him. He’s a train with confidence. Savard is probably going to get traded next TDL. And Gally is the heart of this team, even tho he’s not the greatest player.. a buyout would be a no brainer, with a cheap penalty, but it would hurt feelings wise. So let’s see.

With what Reinbacher and Mailloux are showing us in Laval, they’re literally NHL ready. Yes adaptation could take time, but they’re not going to be lost on the ice in the big league. And Hutson has been sensational in BU, he’s a stud and could make the team even tho Laval is more likely. And expect Dach to pick up things where he left off.

Byfield is having a good year but not 9.5M good. He is also playing on a significantly better team, there is no reason for him to sign this deal vs a ~7M 2-3 year bridge then get paid when the caps higher