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With next to nothing happening in the hockey world, I thought this would be as good of a time as any to profile members of the Calgary Flames.
I'll be commenting on their performances last season as well as projected role and expectations moving forward. I've profiled 19 Flames thus far,
with Austin Czarnik being the most recent.
Today, in my final profile, we're going to take a closer look at Oliver Kylington.
Counting stats: 38 games played, 8 points (three goals, five assists), 12:25 average time on ice
5v5 underlyings: 1.03 points/60, -5.00 CF% Rel, +1.29 GF% Rel, -6.09 xGF% Rel, 1.019 PDO
2018-19 review: It was a roller coaster of a year for Oliver Kylington. He didn't make the team out of camp and was sent back to AHL Stockton, where he really impressed putting up 14 points in 18 games. Kylington's AHL success – coupled with an injury to Juuso Valimaki – resulted in being recalled for his first extended stay in the NHL. He played a very sheltered role on the 3rd pairing and was a mixed bag. He showed some flashes with the puck, put up a few points, and had a positive on-ice goal differential. That's the good. The bad? There were certainly some hiccups defensively and he posted a sub 50 CF% and xGF% despite playing soft minutes for a good team. Ultimately, the Flames decided to bring in some outside help by trading for Oscar Fantenberg. The latter was surprisingly good, particularly alongside Rasmus Andersson, and ensured Kylington was only used selectively down the stretch.
Fun fact: Kylington averaged more points per 60 minutes than James Neal and Milan Lucic.
2019-20 outlook: Kylington is going to be aided by a Valimaki injury once again. The latter all but officially staked claim to LD3, which was the last open top-6 defense slot on the roster (assuming T.J. Brodie sticks around). A torn ACL obviously changes that. Now there is a regular roster spot up for grabs and not many – any? – internal options to challenge for it. Fantenberg was let go, Michael Stone was bought out, Andersson is already a full-timer, and Valimaki is injured. There's basically no competition, which is probably why GM Brad Treliving openly said he'd like to add a defenseman, and why he is bringing Andrew MacDonald in on a PTO. I don't think the Flames want Kylington feeling comfortable a slot is his. Not after somewhat up-and-down hockey last season. He doesn't deserve a spot reserved for him. He'll have to take it.
Should Kylington manage that, I think he's going to play somewhat sheltered minutes on the 3rd pairing. The good news for him is that Andersson is clearly above playing that role, as is T.J. Brodie. If nobody is traded, and Bill Peters doesn't break up the excellent Noah Hanifin - Travis Hamonic pairing, one of Brodie/Andersson is going to be on the 3rd pairing every night. That means Kylington, should he earn a spot, is going to get a few extra shifts by default. Simply put, it'd be a waste to play Andersson or Brodie 13 minutes a night.
If healthy, I think Kylington is heading for 60-70 games on the 3rd pairing. Hopefully he'll be a little more stable than in 2018-19.
numbers via naturalstattrick.com and hockey-reference.com
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