The 2024 NHL Draft has come and gone, and it was no doubt a busy weekend for the Calgary Flames as they had a haul with some very good names. As most of the focus was on the draft this weekend, there is one piece of business that both the Flames themselves and Flames fans would love to see get done, and that is signing Oliver Kylington.
There has been talk between the two sides on a new deal, but with free agency set to open up on Monday, there is not much time before Kylington can hit the open market. So, that begs the question: Will the Flames sign Kylington?
Do both the Flames and Kylington want to get a deal done?
Kylington has been a great story over this past season. After missing the entirety of the 2022–23 season dealing with his mental health, Kylington made his return this past year in January and looked like he didn’t miss a beat.
Kylington was very good for the Flames this year when you consider he had not played an NHL game in over a year and a half. He was a huge positive to get back into the lineup, and the fans were very excited to have him back, he did not disappoint on the ice.
When it comes to the contract negotiations, there is no doubt in my mind that the Flames want to keep Kylington. He is a homegrown player who has become a very effective defencemen in Calgary, and the Flames need players on the backend for next season. After everything that Kylington has gone through and for him to come back the way he did, I can guarantee the Flames want to have him around to see his game hopefully grow to another level.
When it comes to Kylington himself, I would also bet that he wants to be a Flame, but I also think he wants some security with the term and dollar amount. Craig Conroy has made it very clear that he won’t be looking to make seven or eight-year commitments to anyone, even when it comes to Kylington. The Flames are probably looking at a two- to three-year deal whereas Kylington and his camp might be looking for somewhere in the four- to five-year range.
There is no question that both sides would prefer to get a deal done before July 1, but the terms and dollar amount have to work for both sides, so we will just have to wait and see.
The Flames have to get this done
At the end of the day, I think signing Kylington is an absolute must for this team. The Flames have been a mess for almost two years now, from Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk leaving within weeks of one another, to missing the playoffs and making massive changes to the core, and then this past season trading away many pieces of said core. There are not many players left from the 2021–22 team that we all hold so near and dear to our hearts, but Kylington was a part of that team.
He was also just such a great story this year when he came back, especially after how negative the last couple of seasons for the Flames have been, he gave the fans a reason to want to watch the games. While he is not a superstar and he won’t be the difference between making the playoffs or not, I think the team loves having him around, he is ultra-skilled and just a treat to watch skate up and down the ice on a nightly basis.
If the Flames were to let him walk and Kylington signs elsewhere, I think it would be a major letdown to the team and the fans. Everyone was rooting for Kylington the past couple of years, and I personally think it would be a shame if he wasn’t in a Flames uniform to begin next season.
The decision is Kylington’s
When it really comes down to it, it will be Kylington’s decision on whether he wants to remain a Flame or not. He doesn’t owe the Flames any favours, to his credit he fought through so much adversity in his time as a Flame when he was looked over time and time again for older and less skilled players.
He earned his opportunity and the Flames had no choice but to use him due to how effective he was in his role, but make no mistake, he was the Flames’ first option in 2021–22 to use beside Chris Tanev. Kylington earned that spot when the Flames coaches pretty much did everything in their power to prevent it from happening (see signings of Nikita Zadorov, Michael Stone, Connor Mackey and Erik Gudbranson).
If Kylington wants to remain a Flame, he will be a Flame, if he wants to test the waters of free agency to find a new home, that is his right and none of us should hold that against him.
