The Calgary Flames played their 48th game of the season last night and a very big story was involved. Oliver Kylington returned from his leave of absence due to mental health struggles. He played his first NHL game since Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the 2022 playoffs.
That game took place on May 26th, 2022. To put that into perspective, that was 609 days ago. Despite the Flames losing 5–2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the night was full of emotion and Kylington looked like he hadn’t missed a step.
A wholesome welcome back for Kylington
Before the puck was dropped, the Flames fans attending the game were able to give their welcome back to Kylington. Being placed in the opening lineup, Kylington’s name was announced and the crowd gave him a standing ovation that lasted around 30 seconds.
Kylington gave his appreciation to the fans during it and also after the game. He called it touching and said he wants to give it back to the fans and display his abilities on the ice, which he thinks as his way to give it back. The greatest thing to hear from Kylington last night is that playing in the NHL felt normal to him.
Mikael Backlund voiced that the ovation gave goosebumps around the team and that he told Kylington “just enjoy it” right before the opening faceoff took place. Putting him in the opening lineup was a gesture by the Flames organization as stated by head coach Ryan Huska to show that Kylington has always been a part of the team despite not being there physically.
Eased usage to start
The Flames did their best to ease Kylington back into NHL hockey while also giving him a solid amount of playing time. Due to this, he had 19 shifts and played a total of 13:16. The most usage of Kylington came in the third period where he played seven shifts and just shy of six minutes. Unfortunately in that total ice time, he did not pick up a point nor was he on the ice for a goal for. On the positive side, he also wasn’t on the ice for a goal against. Kylington claimed a 5v5 xG% of 62.08 (via NaturalStatTrick.com) which is great to see.
Kylington’s impact in his first game back
While watching, you could see what aspects of Kylington’s game the Flames were missing. The most prominent was Kylington’s skating ability. No other defenceman on the Flames can move like him so his rushes and edgework were noticeable.
Speed and vision
In just his third shift of the game, Kylington used his skating skills to forecheck. He used his agility to narrowly avoid a defender and then worked his through the neutral zone. The puck was lost after a poke check but Kylington continued to press, working hard to get the puck. After the forecheck was over, he quickly skated his way back to his defensive position.
Kylington’s last shift of the first period may of been his best of the whole game and once again, what made him stand out was his skating ability. He started the shift as the furthest man back on the defensive coverage, but as soon as he realized an offensive opportunity, he bolted out. Skating fast sideways, Jonathan Huberdeau was able to feed him an outlet pass and once receiving it, Kylington smoothly transitioned into a forwards stride and took a shot that went wide.
As the puck rode the boards and exited the zone, so did Kylington, who used his speed to make it back to the defensive zone before any extra Blue Jacket skater. No other shift stuck out like these two but his skating ability still had an impact on his play. His speed being the most valuable asset that led to at least one other rush, multiple efforts of forechecking and puck battling, and returning to defensive positioning before an opposing attack could truly start.
Offensive-minded defence
While skating was definitely the biggest impact of Kylington’s night, he still made a good amount of solid offensive and defensive plays. Going back to the shift I called his best of the game, he blocked a pass that stopped the Blue Jackets attack and started the Flames’. The Flames then lost the puck which put them back in the defensive end but Kylington was the one to regain possession and gave a simple outlet pass. This pass lead to an attack that ended with the Flames tying the game 2–2.
Throughout the game you could see Kylington’s effort at keeping the offence going. He’d do his best to keep the cycle going, being more successful than not. One shift, he was being pressured and cleared the zone, banking the puck off the boards to Blake Coleman which started an offensive opportunity for the Flames. I found that Kylington kept his defensive composure well and only once or twice allowed a dangerous chance.
With all of this, Kylington looked like the smooth-skating, puck-moving defenceman he has been his whole career. Obviously, there were some hiccups such as overhandling the puck or making a rushed pass, but the good very easily outweighed the bad and looks like there shouldn’t be much worry about Kylington. Looking like one of the team’s best players in a 5–2 loss is a very positive sign.
Good things to come
Everyone is happy to see Oliver Kylington return to the NHL. There was a point where Kylington didn’t think he would be back so to see him overcome all his struggles is amazing and inspiring. His journey with mental health has done a lot for the league and the sport of hockey in recognizing the importance of it.
Kylington entered his first game back receiving a standing ovation from the crowd and a nice gesture from the organization. There was worry that this much time away from the league would hinder his game but he put all that worry to bed. Kylington did not look out of place and looked like one of the Flames’ best players. He used his skating ability to his advantage at both ends of the ice like he typically does and his puck-moving skills were still on display.
Things are only going to go up for Kylington, sooner rather than later, his name will frequent the scoresheet and we will continue to see an impact from him for this Flames team.
