Quinton Byfield
Earlier this season, Quinton Byfield's name was discussed as a possible trade option. The former second overall pick was struggling to begin the year and it seemed like one of those instances where a change of scenery was needed, similar to Dylan Cozen's with the Buffalo Sabres.
In my opinion, the Kings should not have even considered trading Quinton Byfield as he was moving back to center and the team was winning. This would allow Byfield to go through the growing pains that a young player often goes through but wasn't negatively impacting the team.
The patience the Kings have shown has paid off as of late as Byfield has looked like a different player. In the past nine games, Byfield has had six goals, three assists and a +/- of +9 which is a notable increase with only three goals through the first 29 games.
As the season goes along, the Kings are going to need Byfield to continue to produce at this level as a way to take some pressure off Anze Kopitar. More importantly, Byfield has the potential to be a cornerstone for this franchise in the coming seasons so trading him now doesn't make sense.