There is no question of what the paramount moment of this year’s draft will be for the Los Angeles Kings. Finally the debate will be settled: the Kings will either chose Quinton Byfield or Tim Sützle with their second overall pick. However, this is not the only interesting aspect of the 2020 draft for the Kings. Keep reading for a full primer on what this draft can mean for the Kings and how it will affect “the plan” for the team’s future.

Quinton Byfield vs Tim Stützle

I had to start here because this is what everybody around the NHL and their mother cares about. It is evident that the Rangers will select Alexis Lafrenière with their first overall pick (if they somehow do not, then all of this debate was for nothing because the Kings would be happy to select him) but what the Kings will do with the second overall pick has been the subject of speculation since the draft lottery in June. The Kings have two realistic choices: Quinton Byfield and Tim Stützle.

Normally, I would do a deep dive into each player’s stats and highlights; however, I believe that they are so closely matched that, honestly, it simply does not matter. Either way the Kings are going to select a future star that will do amazing things for the team for years to come. I am simply going to offer some simple soundbites on why each player would be an excellent choice for the team.

The case for Quinton Byfield

He is Anže Kopitar 2.0: a big, strong center who can skate. He is actually quite young to be in the draft, having only turned 18 in August; somehow, the 6’4″, 214 pound Byfield can still grow. He will be a physical force to be reckoned with in the NHL. If selected by the Kings, he will be guided by Anže Kopitar in order to eventually take over the job as the Kings’ number 1 center. Oh, and did I mention, he can score. He will bring offense to a transitioning team that is starved for goals. Byfield seems pretty good to me, but there is still another wonderful option for the Kings.

The case for Tim Stützle

He is German Patrick Kane: a small, fast player with immense offensive skill. At 6’0″ and 187 pounds, he is undersized but his skating and stick handling abilities more than make up for it. He has also proved that he can play in pro hockey, having demonstrated his offensive capabilities in a strong rookie season with the DEL’s Alder Mannheim. He plays both center and left wing, which is arguably more useful to a Kings team with a prospect pool that is already stacked with centers. Stützle’s play also arguably better complements the modern NHL game of speed and skill over size and strength. He is definitely a good option for a Kings team who is looking to get faster and more offensively minded.

An armchair GM’s take

I believe that the choice is Quinton Byfield. It is so incredibly close in my mind, but I can provide some reasoning. Even though Time Stützle may be connected through his fellow countryman and the Kings’ assistant coach Marco Sturm, I think the Kings are going to go with Byfield. The Kings have asserted that they are going to take the best player available over the best fit for the team. Number 1 centers are hard to come by and Byfield fits the bill. There are less questions with him: it is clear that he is going to be a very good player, if not a star in the NHL; however, with Stützle this is less clear (although, personally, I do believe he will be a star). The Kings’ plethora of center prospects will not be a problem with the addition of Byfield: many of them will simply shift to wing at the NHL level. I also believe that the tutelage of Anže Kopitar will be an imperative benefit to Byfield’s development. However, take all of this with a grain of salt. I could very well be quite wrong.

Here is what the choice boils down to: the Kings are either going to chose Canadian Anže Kopitar 2.0 with a higher floor or German Patrick Kane with a higher ceiling. Either way, Kings fans should be excited to watch this new prospect develop and, eventually, become a stat of a future competitive Kings team.

So, what happens after the second overall pick?

The Byfield vs Stützle debate will be settled within minuets of the draft’s commencement. However, this will be just the start of a busy draft for the Kings. The Kings have 11 picks in this year’s draft. This is an insane amount of draft picks and it demonstrates Rob Blake’s and management’s commitment to “the plan”, or the team’s rebuild. Over the past several seasons, the Kings have stocking up on draft picks with the goal of revitalizing their prospect pool that was depleted during the Cup years. This is how the Kings will build a team that will, once again, be competitive in the near future.

All of these draft picks did come at a cost: many fan favorites, including Kyle Clifford, Alec Martinez, and Tyler Toffoli, had to be traded in order to obtain these extra picks. It was simply hard to watch these cup-era players leave, as evident by the calls to “fire Blake” every time he had to make a difficult trade in order to start investing in draft picks, securing the team’s future. However, for the most part, the pain of loosing beloved players is behind us and we can actually start to see the future and it is pretty bright.

The Kings now have the best prospect pool in the league and, with 11 picks in this year’s draft, it is only going to get even better. As a result of this, if the Kings make the playoffs next season, Rob Blake will be on the short list for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. In just a couple seasons, he turned a basically nonexistent prospect pool into the best in the league and these prospects are going to start cracking the NHL lineup, becoming impact players, in the next few seasons.

Now, let’s take a look and see what the Kings can do with all of these picks. After the first couple of picks in the draft, everything becomes pure speculation so I am not going to make any predictions at what specific players the Kings are going to chose. Instead, I am going to look at what type of player the Kings should go for with each pick.

Round 2, pick 35 overall: This is an amazing pick. This pick is, hopefully, going to be a player that slips out of the first round and finds himself with the Los Angeles Kings.

Round 2, picks 51 and 60 overall: These two picks were both acquired in trades. If I had my choice, I would go with a defenseman for at least one of these picks as the Kings are looking to build their defensive prospect pool.

Round 3, picks 66 and 83 overall: This is where the Kings might want to consider taking a goaltender. In the past, Rob Blake has traditionally drafted at least one goaltender every season.

Rounds 4-7, picks 97, 112, 128, 159, and 190 overall: This is the point where I just put my faith in the scouts. Oftentimes, these picks never matriculate to the NHL; however, sometimes stars come out of these late-round picks. Perhaps, the Kings can be one of those lucky teams this year.

This is going to be an extraordinary draft year for the Kings. In my opinion, it is a tipping point for the team with regards to “The Plan.” These draft and prospects picks will start to crack the NHL and, with any luck, the Kings will be a playoff contender as soon as next season!

Check back soon for more draft coverage!