Former Flames defenceman Oliver Kylington signs pro tryout deal with Hurricanes

After being used extremely sparingly by the Avalanche in the early portion of the 2024-25 season, Kylington sustained an upper-body injury that sidelined him for more than two months. He finally returned to action in early February but was traded twice shortly thereafter, first to the New York Islanders on March 6 as part of the Brock Nelson deal, and then to Anaheim later that day in exchange for future considerations.

Kylington enjoyed his greatest NHL success as a member of the Flames in 2021-22, helping to form a superb second pairing with Chris Tanev and collecting a career-high 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists) in 73 games. He tacked on three points in 13 playoff games that spring as the Flames defeated the Dallas Stars before falling to the Edmonton Oilers.

But after signing a two-year extension with the Flames in the 2022 off-season, Kylington missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season and the first half of 2023-24 while dealing with an undisclosed personal matter. He eventually returned to the Flames down the stretch in the 2023-24 season, collecting three goals and eight points in 33 games and showing flashes of his old excellence.

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Kylington would sign a new contract with the Flames ahead of the 2024-25 season, but that turned out not to be the case for reasons largely unknown. Bean appeared in 64 games with the Flames in Kylington’s stead last year but struggled to make an impression one way or another.

Now headed to Carolina on a tryout basis, Kylington will be tasked with beating out the likes of Mike Reilly, Gavin Beyreuther, and Alexander Nikishin for an NHL role. A veteran of 220 games with the Flames, Avalanche, and Ducks, Kylington has collected 18 goals and 60 points in his career to date.