Here we go, Insiders!
As we move through the exit interviews, more focused storylines become harder to find. With this particular trio, fewer of those questions asked are of the team variety, and most relate to the players individually. All players with at least one, very direct storyline that was impactful for the team. As for Quinton Byfield, it was his recovery from injury and his transition to the top line. For Yoonas Korpisalo, it’s his quick integration into this team and the upcoming free agency. The same can be said for Vladislav Gavrikov, who conducted his exit interview yesterday.
Everything is covered below, with full videos embedded to watch regarding the issues not covered in these larger topics.
Quinton Byfield and Yoonas Korpisalo
Quinton Byfield
I talked about this with Jesse Cohen on All The Kings Men, but I feel like Byfield’s illness and subsequent assignment to the AHL was last season. Maybe longer.
It was actually this year. October and November. We talk a lot about when Byfield was moved to the wing and moved up to the top line, but we talk a lot less about the fact that he only returned to the NHL for two games on the fourth line before being moved up the lineup. He was in the AHL, initially, due to illness. It wasn’t necessarily your typical illness either. Byfield said he actually had a fever “for a month straight,” and it cost him a significant amount of weight in the process.
“I’ve had a lot of injuries and illness, which is pretty nasty early in my career, but that’s part of the process. I think I broke my ankle at the beginning of the season and missed 40 games that first year. Sophomore year I was sick for a month and lost 25 pounds so I was tapering off [to Ontario] it just helped me get my game back and my weight back. So that was good for me, but I want to be with the LA Kings for a whole season.”
From that point on, Byfield definitely excelled.
Playing in the lineup for the first time in his career, Byfield had the opportunity to play on the front line, play alongside the team’s number one center and leading scorer and contribute to their effectiveness. The numbers say he unequivocally did, regardless of where his personal production fell. His time on that front line, which lasted almost continuously from late December through the first period of Game 5, was what helped improve his confidence and his scoring.
“It was an opportunity for me and I think I took advantage of it. Just getting more ice time, gaining a little more trust from the coaches. I took a lot of lessons from that, a lot of different experiences, now I can play wing. It’s been good for me and it’s helping my career move forward.”
His next steps, I guess, are unknown. The Kings expect Byfield to take a step forward in whatever role he carves out for himself in the lineup. Whether that’s at center or on the wing, Byfield is comfortable and ready to help the team.
“Honestly, where I can play, where I can be effective and help the team. Naturally, I’ll probably go back to centre, I’ve played that all my life, I haven’t played much on the wing, but anywhere I can help the team and be effective, that’s where I want to play.”
Yoonas Korpisalo
Korpisalo’s interview, as one of three unrestricted free agents on the roster, was one of the more obscure of the bunch.
This is because the future of Korpisalo is unknown. Acquired at the trade deadline, Korpisalo came to Los Angeles for two months, fit in well with the group and improved the team’s goaltending outlook. He was strong in Games 1-3 in the postseason and was generally solid throughout the series, as he was in the regular season, although the team allowed a lot more goals in Games 4-6. First and foremost, he enjoyed his time with the Kings.
“First of all, we were so excited to get in here and things went really well from the moment we got in here. Just seeing how ambitious this group was, it was really uplifting for us as well. We played some great games here and made it to the playoffs. It was really exciting.”
But that doesn’t mean it’s here to stay. Korpisalo is an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his professional career. He pointed out that there hasn’t been a lot of talk about an extension in LA, which isn’t unusual since players usually like to focus on the game. Ultimately, his level of play will determine his extension.
The Kings aren’t flush with salary cap space either, and Korpisalo staying isn’t a guarantee. The Kings now have $6.5 million in cap space, and Korpisalo’s play likely deserved a raise over the $1.3 million cap hit on the books this season. The Kings must make decisions between keeping their own free agents, players currently under contract, and any potential outside acquisitions. Korpisalo understands this side of the business and what happens, happens.
“Not much yet, we were focused on the task at hand, namely the playoffs.” Like I said, I’ve loved every minute here and I’m looking forward to seeing how the eventual negotiations play out. I’m just very happy, first of all. They saw something in me, traded for me here and believed in me.”
Time will tell, he added. Time will tell.
Vladislav Gavrikov
The million dollar question with Gavrikov is the same as with Korpisalo. Will he re-sign with the Kings?
Gavrikov’s media interview came a few days after Korpisalo, so his comments came more than 12 hours after seeing his season come to an abrupt end. It’s not like there was a contract ironed out during that time though, so his response was essentially the same as Korpisalo’s. He certainly hasn’t ruled out a return to Los Angeles, but he hasn’t announced his terms either. A conversation is forthcoming and the Tsars and Gavrikov will hold it in the coming weeks.
“We will talk about it for sure. Right now we will have more time to discuss, but we will see what happens.
As he said throughout his time here, Gavrikov was extremely complimentary of the way he and his family were treated by the Kings organization, from the moment he arrived until his final exit interview.
When a player is traded, there’s a lot more to it than a flight and a hotel. Gavirkov has complimented the Kings several times on how smooth and first-class the process has been. From an off-ice perspective, there could have been a much better fit for him or his family.
“I would say it was perfect. If it’s going to be short, I can talk about it a lot, but as I said before, the team and the organization were good to us and not only to me but to my family when we got here. It was perfect, everyone was so kind and nice, my family loved being here. Off the ice, almost everything was fine.”
On the ice, the fit was certainly there as well. Although he admitted to not looking at the stats, calling them more of a team performance than him as an individual, the fundamentals were great. With Gavrikov on the ice, the Kings controlled more than 62 percent of high-danger situations, which resulted in controlling 70 percent of the goals scored.
Most of Gavrikov’s time was spent paired with Matt Roy, but he also played games with Sean Walker and Drew Doughty, depending on the situation. Gavrikov believed it took some time to adapt to a new team and a new style of play, but once he did, the fit was good.
“I would say that overall it took me a little bit to adjust to playing with the team. Playing with Matt or someone else, it was more for me [adjusting] because we played differently here in LA as far as tactics. It was that kind of detail, you have to work on it and try to make them more distinct as soon as possible. As soon as I did that, it was pretty easy to get the lineup together and play with everyone on the team.”
Now, however, everything is behind us, and for Gavrikov, the trial becomes the unlimited freedom of action that awaits him in less than two months. Here, at least, there is an interest in continuing the relationship, but terms must be worked out that must make sense to both parties. Gavrikov’s two months with the Kings were great. Now we wait and see if they are the end or the beginning of his time here.
Gavrikov joked that he was still waiting for Drew Doughty’s check to cash, mocking Doughty’s joke at his own exit interview. All kidding aside, though, Gavrikov is the team’s most prominent unrestricted free agent, and we’ll be keeping an eye on how the next two months play out in terms of a potential extension.