Flames defenseman to miss start of training camp

“Following yesterday’s medical and fitness testing, it was determined that Oliver is unable to participate in the opening of training camp today. As this is a private personal matter, no further information will be provided.“

Kylington, 26, spent the entirety of the 2022-23 season away from the Flames due to personal reasons. He had stayed in Sweden for a year, and the reasons for which he was away have not been disclosed to the public.

When Kylington had last played for the Flames in 2021-22, he had a breakout season with them. Not only was it his first full season in the NHL with 73 games, it was also his most productive with nine goals, 22 assists and 31 points. He also had one goal, two assists and three points in 12 playoff games that year as the Flames were eliminated in the second round by the Edmonton Oilers.

Kylington will be entering the final year of his two-year contract with a $2.5M cap hit that he signed with the Flames in the 2022 offseason after his breakout year. The contract will not slide a year due to his absence, so he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Kylington was a former second-round pick of the Flames, selected 60th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft out of the Swedish Hockey League. He’s spent the entirety of his career in the Flames organization, either with the NHL squad or in the AHL with the Stockton Heat, although he hasn’t played a game with them since the 2019-20 season.

The Flames will hope that if Kylington can return, it will help the team bounce back from a poor 2022-23 season where they finished two points outside of the playoffs with a 38-27-17 record. The only significant change they made this offseason was trading Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils in return for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick.