Talks surrounding the Calgary Flames and Oliver Kylington seem oddly quiet

The 2023-24 NHL season has officially ended, with the Florida Panthers claiming a Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. But, the celebrations for management and the coaching staff won’t last too long, as the NHL Awards, NHL Entry Draft, and free agency are coming up very soon.

The management team for the Calgary Flames has had plenty of time to prepare for these dates, and it has been interesting to hear all the different rumours about who they may select in the draft and their free agency plan. But, even with all the hustle and bustle of the NHL rumour mill at this time of year, things have been oddly quiet surrounding one particular Flames defenseman whose contract is up. And that is the recently returned Oliver Kylington.

After taking a year away from hockey, the 27-year-old blueliner returned to the Flames lineup this season and made an impact. He only registered eight points in 33 games, but there was a clear morale boost within the fanbase and with the players around him when he was penciled in for his first game and had his name announced as a starter.

But despite all of this season’s feel-good pieces, Kylington does not have a new contract yet. His most recent one, which expired at the end of 2023-24, was signed with Brad Treliving still in the Calgary general manager chair for $2.5 million in average annual value over the course of two years.

Of course, it’s hard to project what the price for a defenceman like Kylington is going to be. Undoubtedly, he’s an incredibly talented player on the back-end who can seriously help the Flames in plenty of ways, especially in their transition game, something head coach Ryan Huska has emphasized plenty of times since becoming the bench boss.

But while 33 games isn’t a minuscule sample size, it’s still hard to judge a player entirely in that period, especially after a year off from the sport. Tuning into games and watching him work the magic we saw him perform before his leave was as exciting as anything that happened during the season.

And, of course, it’s hard to beat this as his first goal back in the lineup.

But despite all of these positive moments and the road back to a consistent NHL spot, there hasn’t been much chatter about what the future holds for Kylington in relation to the Flames – Conroy discussed the negotiations recently with Ryan Pinder and Dean “Boomer” Molberg, indicating talks are ongoing. There have not been any talks of him wanting to leave, but the silence surrounding a possible extension is also a bit odd. Of course, there’s still time for Calgary to get a deal done, and it may just be the preference of the Kylington camp to get things done more quietly, but it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds as July 1 approaches.

Whether or not he decides to stay with the Flames or chooses another destination, there has been no shortage of incredible moments with Kylington manning the blue line and leading the Flames up the ice with the puck. His return was one of the highlights from an otherwise rough season for Calgary, and the hope is that, even with the quietness surrounding his future, he finds a team that will give him the money and playing time he deserves.