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Calgary4LIfe · 08-04-2021, 04:20 PM

I actually still like Kylington. It isn't just about the skating and the shot/passing - it is about his gap control and how he is usually pretty solid in his own end, even against bigger players. I find his gap control usually spot-on.

He does make the egregious error out there that seems to cost him. He had 3 bad games in row, and Treliving then went out and traded for Forbort and Gustafsson (IIRC, it was right after those 3 bad games, but I may be misremembering).

However (and unfairly), I argue with hindsight; exactly how much better would Kylington be right now if the Flames played him over Forbort/Gustafsson the rest of that season and the playoffs? How much better would he have been if he played ahead of Nesterov? I do think he likely would have been much improved, and perhaps would have even had a bit more of a swagger to his game in actually trying stuff out there. With hindsight - and that is that the Flames haven't made any noise in the playoffs - I do argue that both the assets spent on trying to shore-up defensively were wasted, while also negatively impacting Kylington's ice time, which may have helped continue his development. He seems kind of 'stuck' now in his development to me.

I also argue against the notion that he has 'no value' right now. Yes, he passed waivers, but lots of prospects with some value pass through waivers at the start of the season while everyone is trying to finalize their own lineups. Would he pass waivers in the middle of a season? Doubtful. He has some value, just not much value.

In fact, I argue that he has zero value to the Flames, given his ranking.

Hanifin, Tanev, Andersson, Zadorov, Valimaki, Mackey - those are 6 defencemen that this organization likely has ahead of Kylington right now, and even more importantly, who Sutter probably has ahead of Kylington given his usage last season. If Stone gets re-signed (which I will be surprised if he isn't), then that's 7 defencemen ahead of Kylington that this coach prefers.

I also think that if he didn't have any value at all, he wouldn't be qualified. There isn't a risk with arbitration, as though he is eligible, only an arbitrator that is a fan of the Oilers is going to give Kylington a raise, and I am sure that's the counter-argument for retaining him with a QO. However, Treliving has not been shy about just cutting bait with prospects that haven't worked out, and he hasn't done so with Kylington. This leads me to believe that they like him enough to keep him (obviously) or that Kylington holds at least 'some' value, and maybe they can include him as a trade chip for something else in a larger package.

I personally hope that he gets traded and gets a shot at playing regularly, and seeing how he responds at that point. Maybe he will not end up having any real career at the NHL level, or maybe the regular playing time will help him stick. I think his ceiling is probably a #4 defencemen if things work out for him, but it is just as likely (if not more at this point) that he ends up in Europe within the next few seasons. I argue he just needs playing time, but I don't think he will get it on this team (and right now, it is hard to make a case for that to happen).

08-04-2021, 04:20 PM	#1483
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	I actually still like Kylington. It isn't just about the skating and the shot/passing - it is about his gap control and how he is usually pretty solid in his own end, even against bigger players. I find his gap control usually spot-on. He does make the egregious error out there that seems to cost him. He had 3 bad games in row, and Treliving then went out and traded for Forbort and Gustafsson (IIRC, it was right after those 3 bad games, but I may be misremembering). However (and unfairly), I argue with hindsight; exactly how much better would Kylington be right now if the Flames played him over Forbort/Gustafsson the rest of that season and the playoffs? How much better would he have been if he played ahead of Nesterov? I do think he likely would have been much improved, and perhaps would have even had a bit more of a swagger to his game in actually trying stuff out there. With hindsight - and that is that the Flames haven't made any noise in the playoffs - I do argue that both the assets spent on trying to shore-up defensively were wasted, while also negatively impacting Kylington's ice time, which may have helped continue his development. He seems kind of 'stuck' now in his development to me. I also argue against the notion that he has 'no value' right now. Yes, he passed waivers, but lots of prospects with some value pass through waivers at the start of the season while everyone is trying to finalize their own lineups. Would he pass waivers in the middle of a season? Doubtful. He has some value, just not much value. In fact, I argue that he has zero value to the Flames, given his ranking. Hanifin, Tanev, Andersson, Zadorov, Valimaki, Mackey - those are 6 defencemen that this organization likely has ahead of Kylington right now, and even more importantly, who Sutter probably has ahead of Kylington given his usage last season. If Stone gets re-signed (which I will be surprised if he isn't), then that's 7 defencemen ahead of Kylington that this coach prefers. I also think that if he didn't have any value at all, he wouldn't be qualified. There isn't a risk with arbitration, as though he is eligible, only an arbitrator that is a fan of the Oilers is going to give Kylington a raise, and I am sure that's the counter-argument for retaining him with a QO. However, Treliving has not been shy about just cutting bait with prospects that haven't worked out, and he hasn't done so with Kylington. This leads me to believe that they like him enough to keep him (obviously) or that Kylington holds at least 'some' value, and maybe they can include him as a trade chip for something else in a larger package. I personally hope that he gets traded and gets a shot at playing regularly, and seeing how he responds at that point. Maybe he will not end up having any real career at the NHL level, or maybe the regular playing time will help him stick. I think his ceiling is probably a #4 defencemen if things work out for him, but it is just as likely (if not more at this point) that he ends up in Europe within the next few seasons. I argue he just needs playing time, but I don't think he will get it on this team (and right now, it is hard to make a case for that to happen).