Now more than a month into free agency, pretty much all of the top talents are off the board. However, there are a handful of intriguing players still available, one of whom is defenseman Oliver Kylington.
It has been a series of ups and downs for the 27-year-old for the past three seasons, to put it lightly. In 2021-22, he had a breakout year. After showing flashes of upside in the past without much consistency, Kylington was able to put together a consistent showing, picking up 31 points in 73 games while logging over 18 minutes per night, good for fourth among Calgary blueliners.
While he improved, he also wasn’t progressing to the point of being a high-end piece, so Flames management saw fit to give Kylington what amounted to a second bridge contract, a two-year, $5MM agreement that walked him right to UFA eligibility. It was a move that gave them a bit of cap flexibility while hedging against him taking a step back. Meanwhile, had Kylington continued his progression, he’d have been well-positioned to cash in on the open market.
Of course, it didn’t quite happen that way. Kylington missed the entire 2022-23 campaign for mental health reasons; that also carried over into last season before he eventually returned to the Flames in January.
Upon returning, Calgary understandably eased him in. After averaging more than 18 minutes a night in his last season, it took him until the 13th game to reach that mark. Overall, Kylington played in 33 games, notching three goals and five assists while logging 17:15 per contest. Those numbers don’t exactly jump off the table which undoubtedly hurt his case heading into free agency.
Stats
2023-24: 33 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS, -6, 12 PIMS, 17:15 ATOI, 48.7 CF%
Career: 201 GP, 17 G, 38 A, 55 PTS, +24, 52 PIMS, 15:39 ATOI, 50.7 CF%
Potential Suitors
The possible fits for Kylington come down to a couple of types of teams. If he’s looking for playing time, trying to land with a weaker team that can give him a chance at being a fourth defender would be the way to go with the hopes of rebuilding some value. Alternatively, he could elect to try to join more of a contending team and play more of a limited role but hope that being in a winning environment will help in the long run.
In the East, Pittsburgh currently has five regular defensemen before things turn to a variety of depth players and question marks. Bringing in Kylington would at least give them a sixth proven option while they have ample cap space to fit him in. Carolina has Alexander Nikishin coming but he’s still a year away. Kylington could be a depth option that helps bridge the gap. Meanwhile, the Rangers are currently set to have Zachary Jones on their third pairing. If they’re not comfortable with that, Kylington could be a viable piece to fit on their third pairing. However, he’d have to take a pay cut to fill that spot with New York being largely capped out.
Out West, San Jose has been adding some short-term veterans in an effort to improve their competitiveness and Kylington would at least raise the floor at the back of their blueline. Over time, he could push his way into a bigger role as well. If Ryan Suter’s addition in St. Louis wasn’t a hedge against Torey Krug’s injury, Kylington could serve as a depth replacement and injury insurance. While a reunion in Calgary may seem unlikely at this point, there were extension discussions back in June so evidently, there was at least some mutual interest in a new deal with the Flames not that long ago.
Projected Contract
Kylington narrowly missed out on our Top 50 UFA list, checking in two spots below the cut-off. Last month, the expectation was that Kylington was hoping to land a two-year deal a little above the $2.5MM AAV he had on his now-expired contract. At this point, achieving both seems unlikely; a one-year agreement is now the likeliest outcome while there aren’t many viable options that can afford Kylington at that price point. Something closer to the $1.5MM mark would give him some opportunities that otherwise might not come about. That would be a disappointment based on his early expectations but at this stage of the game, few get the types of contracts they were originally seeking.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.