Flames defenseman nears return after latest move

The Calgary Flames have announced that defenseman Oliver Kylington has been sent to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, for the purpose of a conditioning assignment.

Following that announcement, the Flames issued a statement from Kylington which reads as follows:

I feel I’m in a good place with my mental health and ready to take another step forward. Returning to Calgary has been the right decision. I’ve felt tremendous commitment from Flames ownership, management, and my teammates, and I am appreciative of the support and resources made available to me. I also thank my family, friends, and the fans for their encouragement. I’m looking forward to getting on the ice in a team environment and back to my everyday life. I have missed it very much.

Kylington has not played since 2021-22, as he missed all of last season and so far all of 2023-24 for personal reasons. In early December, Flames head coach Ryan Huska gave an update on Kylington’s status, communicating that the Swedish blueliner was still a long way away from returning.

Now, according to Thursday's announcement, it appears Kylington is far closer to a return to the NHL than it seemed a little more than a month ago. Kylington’s conditioning stint can last up to six days, or three games, whichever period is longer, although the Flames can request an extension of two games if they decide that would be necessary for Kylington’s fitness to play in the NHL.

Kylington, a pending UFA, has a $2.5M cap hit that is currently placed on LTIR. The Flames would need to activate him off of that last to get him back onto their roster, though that shouldn’t be a major issue as CapFriendly currently projects them to have more than enough cap space to do so. The team also currently has an open roster spot on its 23-man roster.

As for where Kylington could slot in once he returns to the Flames’ lineup, it’s not immediately clear whether he’d immediately return to playing alongside veteran Chris Tanev. Tanev is currently playing next to Noah Hanifin, so it could be that Kylington takes Jordan Oesterle’s spot alongside MacKenzie Weegar or Dennis Gilbert’s spot next to Rasmus Andersson.

In any case, this development is an extremely positive one for the Flames. The left side of their defense is notably thinner than their ironclad right side, so adding a player who scored 31 points in 73 games during his last NHL season will certainly help matters there.