Quinton Byfield Contract Extension Leads To Questions About Future of Alexis Lafrenière

On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings signed Quinton Byfield to a five-year, $31.25 million contract extension.

The question now is; why haven't the Rangers given Alexis Lafrenière a contract extension?

Byfield was drafted one pick after Lafrenière in 2020, so these two forwards are forever linked together, fair or unfair.

Both Byfield and Lafrenière were set to become restricted free agents at the end of the 2024-245 season, but their two respective teams opted for different approaches regarding their contracts.

The Kings decided to give Byfield a contract one year early. The 21-year-old will make $6.25 million each season and while it seems high, Los Angeles is betting that Byfield will improve even further, making this contract a team-friendly deal when it’s all set and done.

The salary cap is projected to go up next offseason, which could make Byfield’s contract one of the best in the NHL.

On the other side of things, the Rangers are yet to give Lafrenière an extension and it doesn't seem that it will come any time soon.

“Rangers team president Chris Drury has a lot on his plate this offseason, but signing breakout winger Alexis Lafrenière to an extension doesn’t appear to be on the to-do list. All indications are that the two sides will hold off on negotiations until next summer, according to a person with knowledge of the situation part of the USA TODAY Network,” Vincent Mercogliano wrote.

With the salary cap going up and Lafrenière continuing to emerge as a star, it’s strange that the Rangers are willing to wait until next year when his value will likely be even higher.

It would be wise of the Rangers to give Lafrenière a contract ectention before this upcoming season in order to avoid a potential financial disater down the road.