For weeks, the Flames and Oliver Kylington have been discussing a new contract.
Earlier today, Eric Francis from Sportsnet mentioned that Calgary still hoped to finalize a deal. However, TSN’s Salim Valji reported that Kylington will test the free-agent market on Monday.
Kylington is an interesting case in this year’s free-agent pool. In the 2021-22 season, he had a breakout year with nine goals and 22 assists over 73 games, averaging more than 18 minutes of play each night. This performance earned him a two-year, $5M contract from Calgary.
Contract Challenges:
Unfortunately, Kylington barely played under this contract. He missed all of the 2022-23 season and half of this season due to mental health issues. When he returned in January, the Flames were careful with his playing time . He ended up playing only 33 games with three goals and five assists while averaging just over 17 minutes per game.
Throughout his career so far, Kylington has played only 201 games with a total of 55 points. That’s not much for an unrestricted free agent to negotiate from. Despite this, TSN’s Darren Dreger says Kylington’s camp is aiming for a two-year deal with a slight raise from his previous $2.5M average annual value (AAV).
Fans might think it’s risky for teams to invest in someone who hasn’t played much recently.
Teams looking to compete might want more certainty before spending their limited free-agent budget on him. But those with more flexibility could be tempted by his potential if they believe he can return to his peak form from the 2021-22 season.
What do you think? Should teams take a chance on Kylington or look elsewhere?
