Oliver Kylington’s contract situation is heartbreaking if you’re a Calgary Flames fan.
It’s been a wild ride after seeing Kylington’s rise to a top-four defenceman, then missing him for almost a season and a half, before making a comeback for the ages. It’s a tough situation with contract negotiations not resulting in a deal, leading into Kylington testing free agency, yet he remains without a contract with any team at all now three days into free agency.
At this moment there is a lot of anger and angst going around, especially among Flames fans, but in reality, the situation begs the question who is at fault here? The answer is everyone involved.
Why it’s the Flames’ fault
Starting with the obvious, it’s mindboggling that two seasons after losing Johnny Gaudreau they are completely okay with losing another homegrown talent to free agency for nothing.
Kylington is not at the same level as Gaudreau, but he’s still a talented player with a lot of potential that the team seems somewhat complacent about losing for nothing. After all of their patience and understanding of Kylington’s situation, you think they could also be flexible when looking at a new contract.
Add in the fact that the team is rebuilding—depending on who in the organization you ask—and there is absolutely zero cost or risk associated with giving Kylington a contract, and the situation becomes a little bit more absurd. The rumour was that the Flames offered a one-year deal, and were reluctant to go more than that, but how can they seriously be getting cheap now?
The Flames have the most salary cap space of any team in the NHL, they have a roster that is going to help them get a top-five pick in the 2025 draft, and we are supposed to believe that they really didn’t want to offer Kylington one additional season?
It’s utterly confusing how the team is supposedly saying that Jake Bean is their Kylington replacement when they could have both players on their roster. For a team that has been saying “woe is me” about losing free agents, this is a masterclass in why they shouldn’t be playing the victim.
Why it’s Kylington’s fault
In Kylington’s case, it’s hard to place a lot of the blame on his feet based on everything he has been through the last few years. It took a ton of courage and determination to make it back to the NHL and he did it.
The only thing that you can fault him on is perhaps betting too much on himself. As we have seen with players who have taken an extensive break from playing, sometimes it’s not as easy to get a job as you once thought. Kylington had a great season in 2021–22, but that was two years ago and he has now missed a ton of time. He showed he can still play in the NHL, but it may have to be on a showcase-type deal to fully prove he can handle an entire season.
Some NHL teams may look at his situation and not feel comfortable handing out multiple years, but if Kylington is betting on himself, then one can only hope it works out and not fault him for believing that much.
Why it’s Kylington’s agent’s fault
The same cannot be true for Kylington’s agent, J.P. Barry, who in this case probably overplayed his hand. It’s not to say that Kylington will not get a contract at this point, but it’s hard to imagine getting the type of deal that he may have been trying to extract out of the Flames.
Barry would be operating on Kylington’s behalf, but most of the contract conversations are driven by the agent. If Craig Conroy offered one year and Kylington was looking for more, it was probably due to Barry advising Kylington that he could get it on the open market. Well right now that is looking like a bit of a bluff, something unfortunately that happens in markets like this.
Now Kylington may get a two-year deal in the next few days, but probably at less money than he would have made on his one-year offer with the Flames. You look at a team like Anaheim being a prime contender for his services, and if so he likely succeeds and has a great NHL career. The only thing is that there is no guarantee that Kylington is going to make it a full season, which is probably why some teams have balked at signing him.
The Flames were put in a difficult situation in 2022–23 when they had to keep Kylington’s contract on their cap for the full season. For teams competing this year that would love to have Kylington on their roster, they are probably looking at that as a risk they cannot take. Look at Colorado and the Valeri Nichushkin situation, where they are strapped for space but required to keep their full cap hit.
Do you know what team would probably be the most understanding about the situation should it repeat? The Calgary Flames. It’d be stupid to mess with a good thing.
Why it’s the fault of Flames fans
Finally, some of the fault around this situation falls on the fans. There has been a lot of rhetoric around Kylington owing the Flames in this situation based on how private and respectful they were throughout his absence. That couldn’t be far from the case.
The Flames acted with the utmost professionalism, but at the end of the day this is a business and both parties seemed to have made a business decision. No fans seem to agree with it, myself included, but the team and player are well within their rights to do what is best for themselves.
Time will tell how the Kylington situation resolves
At the end of the day, everyone seems to be a bit hurt about this. A reunion would be the perfect solution, but that door seems to be closing. Nothing is said and done until a contract is signed, but there’s no telling whether it’ll be with the Flames or elsewhere. No one wants to see Kylington go, but if he does then let’s hope it’s for nothing but greener pastures.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
