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The Calgary Flames have signed defenseman Oliver Kylington to a one-year contract extension. It is a two-way deal that is worth $787K at the NHL level.
The 23-year-old rearguard appeared in a career high 48 games during the 2019-20 campaign. His 5v5 on-ice metrics (~48 CF%, ~48 xGF%, ~43 GF%) were rather pedestrian, as were his raw counting stats (two goals, five assists).
He showed the occasional flash throughout the season, but there were also times he was somewhat of a liability. Geoff Ward didn’t really seem to trust him which, on top of injuries, likely played a part in the Flames acquiring multiple depth defenders (Derek Forbort, Erik Gustafsson) leading up to the trade deadline.
Kylington’s relative impact was actually better than both of those guys, however, it wasn’t surprising to see the Flames lean on the veterans instead.
As currently constructed, Kylington is the odds-on favorite to claim the sixth and final regular spot on the backend.
In saying that, the Flames did bring in Alex Petrovic – who they were interested in years ago – and there are still whispers about them making a push for Travis Hamonic. Alex Yelesin figures to be in the mix, too.
So while Kylington might have the leg up right now, it’s possible the rug is quickly pulled from beneath him prior to camp.
Kylington is no longer waiver exempt so he would need to pass through if the Flames try to send him to the AHL level. His two-way deal simply means he’ll make less money in the event he isn’t on the NHL roster.
That’s a fairly common thing to throw into the contract of bubble players, especially during a pandemic when owners are pinching pennies more than ever.
info via CapFriendly.com and NaturalStatTrick.com
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