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Oliver Kylington

Avalanche Issue Multiple Injury Updates

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The season has brought a never-ending string of injuries for the Colorado Avalanche. They’re facing absences to five different players – including Gabriel Landeskog and Ross Colton, who are each on injured reserve, and Jonathan Drouin, who is week-to-week. Unfortunately, their injury list is only going to grow longer – with Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports sharing that Oliver Kylington is day-to-day, Josh Manson is week-to-week, and Miles Wood is month-to-month. All three players are dealing with upper-body injuries.

Manson’s injury is the most pressing of the new set. The top-four defender left the team’s Friday loss to Dallas in the second period after falling awkwardly into the boards. He dropped his gloves immediately and seemed to be favoring his wrist or hand. Manson has been a key piece of the Avalanche blue-line with reliable depth injured around him. He averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time through five games before injury, recording one assist and seven shots on net in the role. Manson’s season-long stat line sits at six points, 16 penalty minutes, and a team-leading 51 hits in 24 games. He was replaced on Saturday by John Ludvig, playing in just his sixth game of the season. Ludvig has two points and 11 hits this season – putting him on pace to rival Manson’s stats across 24 games, if he keeps up this pace of points and hits.

Kylington’s injury is also new. Kylington seemed to sustain the injury in Colorado’s Wednesday win over Vegas. He didn’t play in either game this weekend, and is now confirmed as needing a bit more time until he’s back to full health. Kylington has two points, four penalty minutes, and a -2 through eight appearances this season. He’s been a depth defender at-best when the lineup calls on him, but Manson joining the list of injuries could open more of a role if Kylington returns soon.

The injuries to the forward group are old news by this point. Drouin’s upper-body injury is technically new, suffered on November 27th, though it returns him to an inactive list that he’s already spent three weeks on this season. Drouin suffered what’s believed to be a separate upper-body injury in Colorado’s season opener, and was placed on injured reserve from October 20th to November 14th. He’s only played in five games this season, but has managed an impressive four points – split evenly – while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. Miles Wood is in a similar spot, headed to IR from October 28th to November 14th – then reinjuring himself and moving back to the reserve just two weeks later. He’ll now be out for the long-term, depriving Colorado of an impactful depth forward who had three points in 16 games this season.

Colorado already recalled Nikita Prishchepov in response to new injuries, but could also look into a depth defenseman with Manson now out for the foreseeable future. Their best options would likely be veteran depth defenders Jacob MacDonald and Calle Rosen – though both players, and the rest of the Eagles blue-line, are left-handed; the opposite side of right-shot Manson.

Injury Updates: Stanley, Arvidsson, Kochetkov, Kylington, Chinakhov

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The Jets welcomed back Logan Stanley to their lineup tonight with the team announcing (Twitter link) that the blueliner has been activated off injured reserve.  The 26-year-old has been banged up this season, missing time with a knee issue and most recently a mid-body injury that kept him out for the last eight games.  Between those, Stanley has three points, 17 blocks, and 12 hits in 11 games while averaging 15:13 per night, the second-highest ATOI of his career.  With his activation, Winnipeg now has a full 23-player roster.

Other injury updates from around the NHL:

  • Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters including Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link) that winger Viktor Arvidsson won’t suit up on their current road trip, meaning he’ll miss the next three games. The 31-year-old has missed the last six games due to an undisclosed injury and is currently on injured reserve.  Arvidsson is in his first season with Edmonton after signing a two-year, $8MM contract over the summer.  However, he’s off to a quiet start with just two goals and three assists in 16 games.
  • Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is listed as doubtful for tomorrow’s game against Florida, team reporter Walt Ruff reports (Twitter link). Kochetkov remains in concussion protocol but head coach Rod Brind’Amour wants to get him in a practice before getting him back into a game.  Kochetkov has a 2.42 GAA and a .909 SV% in 13 games so far this season.  With him and Frederik Andersen out, Spencer Martin and Yaniv Perets are Carolina’s tandem between the pipes for the time being.
  • The injuries continue to pile up for the Avalanche. Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Oliver Kylington is dealing with an injury and isn’t with the team in Dallas.  The 27-year-old has had a quiet start to the season for Colorado, missing time due to illness and being healthy scratched at times.  Overall, Kylington has suited up in eight games so far, picking up a goal and an assist but his playing time is just 12:10 per night, more than five minutes below his ATOI with Calgary last season.
  • Blue Jackets winger Yegor Chinakhov was scratched in today’s victory over Calgary due to an upper-body injury, notes team reporter Jeff Svoboda (Twitter link). After a breakout performance last season that saw him record 16 goals and 13 assists in 53 games, the 23-year-old is on pace to beat those numbers as he has seven goals and seven helpers in 21 appearances so far, good for fourth on Columbus in scoring.  Cole Sillinger returned from his upper-body injury to take Chinakhov’s spot in the lineup.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Oliver Kylington

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Defenseman Oliver Kylington’s first trip on the free agent market may have lasted longer than he would have liked — but it’s finally over. The Colorado Avalanche announced they have signed the free-agent defenseman to a one-year contract for next season. PuckPedia reports that Colorado will pay Kylington a salary of $1.05MM next year.

It’s difficult to say the Avalanche had a disappointing situation on defense with Cale Makar at the top of the hierarchy but the depth on the blue line was starting to become an issue. The team lost the trade deadline acquisition of Sean Walker to the free agent market while allowing Jack Johnson, Caleb Jones, and Brad Hunt to walk out the door. Arguably, and with very little cap space to work with, the signing of Kylington should put a cap on Colorado putting together better defensive depth than they had last year.

The organization brought Calvin de Haan and Erik Brannstrom to one-year deals earlier in the summer. Kylington should push for a spot next to Brannstrom on the third defensive pairing, which would move de Haan into the seventh defenseman role. Although Kylington is coming off a season in which he only suited up in 33 games for the Calgary Flames, he has shown flashes of being a top-four defenseman earlier in his career.

He was originally drafted 60th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft after a solid year with Färjestad BK J20 of the J20 SuperElit in Sweden. He spent another year in Sweden after being drafted before landing in North America with the Flames organization. It would take a few years for Kylinton to find his footing in professional hockey, after accumulating productive years with the then-Flames AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, Kylington became a full-time member of Calgary’s lineup.

His long journey to consistent NHL minutes culminated in his best season to date in the 2021-22 season when Kylington scored nine goals and 31 points in 73 games while averaging 18:10 of ice time per game. The Swedish defensemen benefitted greatly from playing on a staunchly defensive Flames team while finishing third on the blue line in scoring. Unfortunately, due to personal matters in Sweden, Kylington’s last game for quite some time came on May 26th, 2022.

After his matters were resolved Kylington returned to Calgary’s lineup on January 25th, 2024. He also returned to a completely different team. The Flames were in the middle of a major re-tooling when Kylington re-entered the roster as Calgary moved on from Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifin during the season with Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau leaving via trade and free agency, respectively.

Kylington finished the 2023-24 season with three goals and eight points in 33 games on a much weaker Flames team. Now, as he joins the second team of his career on a one-year pact with the Avalanche, Kylington immediately joins a Stanley Cup contender for the 2024-25 season. His responsibility will dramatically lessen in Colorado but it may be a perfect opportunity for Kylington to build upon his value in a better system to parlay his one-year deal into a multi-year offer next summer.

Free Agent Profile: Oliver Kylington

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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.

Reunion Seems Far Off For Flames, Oliver Kylington

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The Calgary Flames have made a long list of additions to their defense since the calendar turned to 2024, bringing in each of Jake Bean, Daniil Miromanov, Kevin Bahl, Joel Hanley, and Brayden Pachal. The litany of defenders will compete for the holes left by Nikita Zadorov, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev. That crowded competition leaves unsigned defenseman Oliver Kylington on the outside looking in, shares Sportsnet’s Eric Francis on the Big Show Podcast. Francis’ sentiment was seconded on Sportsnet 960’s Flames Talk, where host Pat Steinberg agreed he doesn’t think Calgary should add to their logjam.

Kylington has gone unsigned through the first 11 days of free agency, despite being one of the youngest UFA defensemen on the open market. That’s likely thanks to his recent extended absence, returning for 33 games this season after missing all of the 2022-23 season and the first half of this year. He began to bounce back before the end of the year, ultimately totaling eight points as he fought to find his footing in the lineup. This year marked Kylington’s first showing since a career year in 2021-22, when he managed nine goals and 31 points in 73 games – playing through his first full year in the NHL. He earned the spot after fighting his way up form the minor leagues, then out of the team’s seventh-defender role.

At his best, Kylington is a smooth-moving, two-way defender who does well at pushing the puck across the red line. He’s been able to hone that skill to NHL-sharpness, though he still seems to be missing a true breakout season; even despite flashes of potential. Now 27 and two years removed from a full season, Kylington is undeniably hard to gauge. That downfall isn’t helped along by the rumor of a long-term ask, with Steinberg adding that Kylington reportedly had talks of a four-year extension with the Flames at one point.

That would be a hefty extension, and likely ensure Kylington an NHL role – both difficult guarantees for the league’s other 31 teams to provide a defender yet to take advantage of his prime. Kylington is no stranger to having to climb his way up a depth chart on short-term deals, a role he seems much more likely set for next season. He’s totaled 91 points in 192 career AHL games, predominantly coming between 2015 and 2019. That strong minor-league track record will be a great safety net for Kylington, as he shops his lanky NHL resume around the rest of the league – with Calgary’s blue-line seemingly full.

Oliver Kylington To Test Free Agency

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For the past several weeks, the Flames and Oliver Kylington had been talking about a new contract with a mutual desire to get something done.  Early in the day, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reported that Calgary hadn’t given up hope on getting a new deal in place.  However, TSN’s Salim Valji reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner will indeed hit the open market tomorrow.

Kylington is one of the wild cards of this year’s free agent class.  In 2021-22, he had a breakout campaign, collecting nine goals and 22 assists in 73 games while logging over 18 minutes a night.  It looked like he had arrived as a legitimate full-time NHL blueliner, resulting in Calgary giving him a two-year, $5MM agreement.

However, the 27-year-old hardly played on that contract.  He took all of 2022-23 away from the team and missed half of this season to focus on his mental health.  When he did return in January, the Flames were cautious with him, easing him in.  Overall, Kylington played in 33 games, picking up three goals and five assists while averaging 17:15 per contest.

For his career, Kylington has played in just 201 games, recording 55 points.  That’s not a significant body of work for a typical unrestricted free agent to be negotiating off of but TSN’s Darren Dreger relays (Twitter link) that Kylington’s camp is hoping for a two-year deal with a small increase off his $2.5MM AAV from the last two years.

Contending teams might be looking for more certainty when it comes to distributing their largely limited free agent dollars around.  However, teams with more flexibility might be intrigued by the potential upside if they feel Kylington can get back to the level he was at back in 2021-22.  If a few of those feel that way, he might be able to get the type of commitment he’s looking for.

Defensemen Notes: Slavin, Kylington, McCabe

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A few days ago, it was reported that the Carolina Hurricanes and defenseman Jaccob Slavin were in an informal agreement on a contract extension, but the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed as he is ineligible to put pen to paper until July 1st. Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on ’32 Thoughts’ that the contract should clock in as an eight-year, $52MM contract paying Slavin an average of $6.5MM a year (X Link).

At face value, the terms of the deal seem like a perfect arrangement for Slavin and the Hurricanes organization, as Evolving Hockey predicted an eight-year extension for Slavin at a $6.492MM salary. Slavin’s current seven-year, $37.1MM contract will expire after the 2024-25 NHL season and this new deal will take Slavin to his age-39 season in 2023-33.

Slavin rebounded in the point department nicely from a down 2022-23 season, but also saw his ice time dip by just over a minute as head coach Rod Brind’Amour spread the wealth much more this past season. The recent recipient of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy scored six goals and 37 points in 81 games for Carolina this year and should maintain his status as a top-pairing defenseman for the organization next to Brent Burns.

Other notes:

  • Speaking to the media today after sending goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils, the General Manager of the Calgary Flames, Craig Conroy, spoke briefly about the ongoing extension negotiations with defenseman Oliver Kylington. Danny Austin of the Calgary Sun quoted Conroy saying, “We’ve been in contact and going back-and-forth. There’s been a lot of stuff going on but I actually talked to Oliver the other day. Things are progressing. I know everyone wants things quicker, but sometimes it just takes a little time“. After acquiring defenseman Kevin Bahl in the deal for Markstrom, the Flames may not have enough room for Kylington even if there is mutual interest in an extension unless another move is made.
  • Expected to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 NHL season, defenseman Jake McCabe of the Toronto Maple Leafs is doing some preliminary work for his future. In an announcement from the firm, McCabe has switched over his representation to Bartlett Hockey. One of the more established groups for player representation, Bartlett Hockey also represents the likes of Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, and Cale Makar.

Evening Notes: Myers, Lafferty, Kylington, Markstrom

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Heading into the offseason, the Vancouver Canucks have several quality players heading for unrestricted free agency. In an article today by David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod, he touches on the organization’s negotiations with defenseman Tyler Myers and forward Sam Lafferty.

A little over a week ago, it was reported that both Myers and the Canucks wanted to pursue an extension — but it will need to be for a much lower AAV than his previous $6MM salary. It does not appear that the two sides have even started exchanging salary figures, which could push Myers towards unrestricted free agency on July 1st. Vancouver has four defensemen set to hit the open market with an additional restricted free agent to worry about, and the Canucks would be wise to extend some of them well before free agency kicks off.

Unlike Myers, it does not appear that Lafferty wants to extend his stay in Vancouver, but Pagnotta points out that the two sides haven’t shut the door completely. After completing his two-year, $2.3MM contract that he originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, Lafferty has earned a shot at more earning power this summer after posting 13 goals and 24 points with the Canucks this season.

Other notes:

  • In the same article from Pagnotta, defenseman Oliver Kylington and his camp are still waiting on a contract offer from the Calgary Flames. It was only a few weeks ago that Pagnotta originally confirmed that the Flames organization was preparing an offer for the Masterton Trophy finalist. After missing nearly two years, Kylington’s arrival back in Calgary was well received, especially after the team made significant changes to its blue line. If he does extend, Kylington should be able to fetch nearly identical value to his recent two-year, $5MM contract with the Flames.
  • Staying in Calgary, Pagnotta indicates that the Flames and New Jersey Devils are working hard towards a Jacob Markstrom trade. The two sides were nearly in agreement on a trade that would send Markstrom to New Jersey at the trade deadline, but the deal collapsed in the final stages. Although Markstrom remains the ideal candidate for the Devils, there will be other options available this summer if Calgary’s asking price exceeds expectations.

West Notes: Tanev, Hakanpaa, Oilers, Kylington

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The Dallas Stars didn’t have any positive updates today, with head coach Pete DeBoer sharing that Chris Tanev will see doctors and “go from there”, while Jani Hakanpaa likely won’t be available for Game 5, per NHL.com’s Mike Heika (Twitter link). Tanev left Game 4 midway through the second period, after suffering a lower-body injury while blocking a shot from Evander Kane. Tanev has played in all 17 of Dallas’ playoff games and totaled a league-leading 68 blocked shots. He also leads Dallas defensemen in hits, with 26. Meanwhile, Hakanpaa will miss a 31st-straight game should he miss Game 5.

Tanev would be a major absence for the Stars, who currently carry Nils Lundkvist, Derrick Pouliot, or prospect Lian Bichsel as their extra defenders. Lundkvist has appeared in 12 postseason games this Spring, recording one assist and averaging just 4:27 in ice time each game. Pouliot could offer a more stout veteran presence, though he’s only appeared in 22 NHL games over the last three seasons combined. Pouliot spent the majority of this season with the AHL’s Texas Stars, recording nine goals and 46 points across 67 games. Regardless of the fill-in, Tanev’s absence will likely mean more ice time for the team’s top pair of Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen. The pair are already averaging 25 and 28 minutes of ice time respectively. Heiskanen has managed six goals and 16 points in 17 postseason games, while Lindell has posted three goals and five points.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Edmonton Oilers have hired Kalle Larsson as their ‘Senior Director of Player Development’. He will be responsible for overseeing and managing the development of Oilers’ prospects. Larsson moves to the NHL after spending 11 years with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he served as both general manager and President of Hockey Operations at various points. Larson built Dubuque into one of the league’s most consistently successful lineups, including supporting them to a championship appearance this season – though Dubuque lost to the nearly flawless Fargo Force, who finished the regular season with just 10 regulation losses. Larsson will now move into the NHL, once again focused on developing young players into playoff-winning talents.
  • The Calgary Flames are reportedly preparing an offer for defenseman Oliver Kylington, shares David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Kylington was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy this season, after taking 18 months away from the team for personal reasons. That absence included missing the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign. Kylington totaled 33 games with Calgary this season, posting eight points, 12 penalty minutes, and a -6. He’s likely due for a cheap deal and will look to resolidify his spot on the team’s daily lineup next season.

NHL Announces 2024 Bill Masterton Trophy Finalists

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The NHL has announced the three finalists for the 2023-24 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is given to “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.” The nominees are goaltenders Frederik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes, Connor Ingram of the Arizona Coyotes, and defenseman Oliver Kylington of the Calgary Flames.

Andersen started the season well with a 4-1 record in his first five games. However, he was diagnosed with a blood clotting issue early in the year and missed four months of action that ended up totaling 49 games. He returned to the Hurricanes crease late in the season and finished the year off on an elite level, posting a 1.30 GAA and a .951 SV% as he went 9-1-0 down the stretch. He’s continued his solid play in the postseason, going 4-1 with a .912 SV% and a 2.25 GAA as Carolina dispatched the Islanders in five games in the first round.

Ingram was close to retiring in 2021 but received assistance through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program to deal with lingering mental health issues, which he said earlier this year was undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder. Blossoming into a true starter this season with the Coyotes, he registered a .907 SV%, a 2.91 GAA and a 23-21-3 record. He also tied for the league lead with six shutouts and played in a career-high 50 games.

Kylington spent a year and a half out of the NHL and made his return at the midway point of the 2023-24 season. He was also away from the game for mental health reasons, staying on personal leave for the entire 2022-23 season and working with support staff during his time away from the Flames. The 26-year-old re-established himself as a regular upon his return, averaging 17:15 in ice time per game with three goals and five assists.

The NHL has yet to announce an official date and place for the NHL awards show.

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