Kings Forward Quinton Byfield Scored An Unreal Goal Of The Year Candidate

There's not a whole lot of time left in the 2023-24 NHL regular season, so any player who wants to submit a Goal of the Year candidate needs to do it sooner rather than later. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield his submission and, oh boy, was it a beauty.

It's been an interesting season for the Kings. They got off to a hot start, but around the holidays they completely crapped the bed. They fired head coach Todd McLellan and replaced him with Jim Hiller and since the change, the team has been better, posting a 6-3-1 record in its last 10 games.

That includes Tuesday's 5-1 beat down of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Of the five times the Kings hit the back of the net against Jackets netminder Elvis Merzļikins, none were prettier than Byfield's absolute gem.

That was something.

The wheels through the neutral zone were something else, and the move between the D-man's legs was jaw-dropping. In fact, if that was only thing he did on this play and they fired a routine writer it would still be a Goal of the Year contender.

However, it was the finish that blew me away. The backhander with one knee on the ice was mind-blowing.

This is right up there with another Goal of the Year candidate that involved a move on a defenseman that left his jockstrap hanging in the rafters with a backhand finish scored by Flyers forward Owen Tippett just last month,.

I'm not sure which I like more. That Tippett backhander was one of the best I've ever seen, but byfield's deke at the top of the circle was more impressive.

What say you? Tippett or Byfield? Someone else? Give me your Goal of the Year picks by sending an email to me at mattreigleoutkick@gmail.com.