Quinton Byfield Exits With Upper-Body Injury Because The Kings Can't Have Nice Things

The Los Angeles Kings just watched their $31 million investment head down the tunnel, and if you know anything about Quinton Byfield's pain tolerance, that is a massive red flag.

Daily Faceoff reported that Byfield exited Tuesday night's game against the Washington Capitals with an upper-body injury and was officially ruled out for the rest of the night.

"Daily Faceoff reported that Byfield exited the game with an upper-body injury."

To understand why this is terrifying for Los Angeles, you have to look at what it usually takes to get Byfield off the ice. Last season, the guy literally played through two torn obliques. Not one. Two. He still managed to skate in 79 games and put up 49 points while his core muscles were holding on by a thread.

If a guy who plays professional hockey with the anatomical equivalent of shredded string cheese in his torso decides he cannot finish a Tuesday night game in October, you should probably be concerned.

The timing is brutal for a Kings squad that is already stumbling. They just dropped back-to-back 4-1 games to the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins. Losing a top-six forward who just inked a five-year, $31.25 million extension over the summer is the exact opposite of a slump buster.

Anyone holding Kings futures or looking at daily player props needs to hit pause. Byfield is a massive part of their offensive engine, and his absence completely scrambles their line combinations and power-play units.

Los Angeles has to turn right around and play the New York Islanders on Thursday. Until the Kings release a formal recovery timeline, expect the betting markets to treat this offense with extreme caution.