[Rumour] Kylington to test free agency

[Goriders]

Krahn was ripping Kylington on the radio this morning. I didn’t disagree with what he was saying.

[dino7c]

Im curious if he really even wants to be an NHLer at all.
If the Flames offered him nothing it would be a big PR hit but now that he "tested the market" management might be happy they moved on and have no obligation.

[cam_calderon]

A "big PR hit"? This guy is a nobody. Casual fans outside of this forum would not know his name.

[cam_calderon]

As the Barn Burner guys said the club has gone above and beyond for Kylington - I have no doubt many clubs would've gone down the suspension route. Should they keep paying him for life?

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

A "big PR hit"? This guy is a nobody. Casual fans outside of this forum would not know his name.

What? His story is well known

[dino7c]

He signed a 2 year deal in August and didnt show up to camp...its a pretty tough sell to get another 2 year let alone a raise. Honestly the whole thing seems fishy. Why would an NHL agent advise this? They obviously didnt have something lined up.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by dino7c

What? His story is well known

Well known? We don't even know the story. He missed a year and a half with an unspecified mental health problem, wrapped in such secrecy that we still have no idea what it was.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Well known? We don't even know the story. He missed a year and a half with an unspecified mental health problem, wrapped in such secrecy that we still have no idea what it was.

I meant in general...this is a hockey story beyond CP I can assure you. He was a finalist for the masterton.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by boogerz

At the end of the day, Barry doesn't facilitate a deal if his client doesn't say yes. There's no one to blame for misplaying the hand other than Kylington. If Kylington wants to march by the beat of his own drum, that's cool. I don't blame Conroy or Edwards for closing the door after the lack of respect shown here.

There’s no indication that anybody showed anybody else a lack of respect in this situation. Sometimes players and teams can’t agree on a contract, it doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

As the Barn Burner guys said the club has gone above and beyond for Kylington - I have no doubt many clubs would've gone down the suspension route. Should they keep paying him for life?

They couldn’t have suspended him, as it’s assumed he was in the player assistance program (and could have joined it to avoid any possible suspension, if he wanted to).

They are under no obligation to pay him for life. Is anybody suggesting otherwise?

[Blankcanvas]

I was surprised and disappointed that he didn't re-sign before July 1st. I didn't ever think he wouldn't resign until he didn't. I am still shocked that he chose to test free agency. WTF was he thinking?

I was a huge fan of Kylington and cheered as loud as anyone when he returned. It was a great story and I was proud of the Flames organization for the way they handled everything. I also believed what Kylington said about being grateful for the way he was treated and his loyalty.

Now, even if he does somehow come back, it has left a sour taste in my mouth. I will struggle to support and cheer for him the way I did. I wish him well but truly think he made a huge mistake here.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

They couldn’t have suspended him, as it’s assumed he was in the player assistance program (and could have joined it to avoid any possible suspension, if he wanted to).

Capfriendly, which is usually pretty on top of things, would typically say if a non-roster player was in the assistance program, and they never showed him as being in the program. They always showed him as on LTI.

As to whether he could have entered it after being suspended for not reporting to make sure he was still getting paid, I am not so sure. Are there any examples where that has happened? It’s also a program and he would have had to have been meeting requirements and benchmarks outlined in the program. Were there any indications that he was willing to do that? The Flames let him do things the way he wanted to without question. Without even knowing details, we don’t even know if he would qualify. They would have wanted their own approved professionals making the assessments.

It was the morally right thing to do, but from a business perspective it was generous. I bet some teams would not have taken the same path. I am glad the Flames did though.

[Bill Bumface]

From what I heard as to the reason for Kylington leaving the last time, there are highly logical factors for why he'd want term above all else.

There are some pretty gross comments in here.

[Sec214]

So sad this thread.

Kylington has earned the right to chose between Calgary and whatever else is on the market. I can confirm he has options outside Calgary.

Maybe playing pro hockey in Sweden making less money makes him happier. Maybe playing in a lower pressure market is what Oliver wants. Maybe he just want to do what’s best for Oliver and I hope he finds peace with his choice…..Maybe it doesn’t even involve hockey.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

From what I heard as to the reason for Kylington leaving the last time, there are highly logical factors for why he'd want term above all else.

If the Barn Burner guys don't know the reason after two solid years, I doubt anybody outside the organization has accurate information.

Originally Posted by Sec214

Maybe playing pro hockey in Sweden making less money makes him happier. Maybe playing in a lower pressure market is what Oliver wants. Maybe he just want to do what’s best for Oliver and I hope he finds peace with his choice…..Maybe it doesn’t even involve hockey.

Then why the reports that he turned down the Flames' offer because they weren't giving enough term? Term would be the least of his concerns if he just wanted to leave town.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Sec214

So sad this thread.

Kylington has earned the right to chose between Calgary and whatever else is on the market. I can confirm he has options outside Calgary.

Maybe playing pro hockey in Sweden making less money makes him happier. Maybe playing in a lower pressure market is what Oliver wants. Maybe he just want to do what’s best for Oliver and I hope he finds peace with his choice…..Maybe it doesn’t even involve hockey.

All the more reason not to give him multiple years. You hint and insider knowledge and then you suggest 4 things he might do lol, if he can't commit why would anyone else?

I don't get the sad comment...I don't see many posters attacking him personally. Craig basically said they made him an offer and he wanted a better offer (term by all accounts) So he would have signed if they met his demands. He is free to do whatever he likes but I don't think trying to force a multi year offer from the Flames was a great career choice.

Lets be real, I know people in way worse situations than this to get sad about...if you don't consider yourself lucky.

From a hockey standpoint I would want him back for 1x2M and be perfectly happy to cheer him on again but any more than that I hope he is elsewhere.

All that "earned" him UFA status was the passing of time.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

You know perfectly well that the Norris is always given to one of the top scoring defencemen.

Analytics had Tanev pegged as the best defensive defenceman in the NHL for a while. So, yeah, he definitely made Kylington much better. He's pretty much done that with every partner he had.

Who said Tanev didn't make his partner better, exactly? I said that a third pairing defenseman + Tanev does not equate to one of the best D pairs in the NHL.

Are you sure an article in The Hockey Writers by ‘aspiring sportswriter’ Marko Zlomislic, which doesn't even rank the top defence pairings (Tanev-Kylington is the second one listed, but there are no numeric rankings) is the hill you want to die on?

The article listed Grzelcyk-MacAvoy first and Toews-Makar third, for heaven's sake.

The article is not the core of my post. It was just the first article that popped up on google.

Kylington-Tanev being one of the best D pairings that year was something I've personally constructed arguments for, I don't need that article.

Honestly, given how this fanbase and organization has treated this player over the years, he probably wanted out a long time ago. The same organization that waived him, exposed him in expansion, traded for Fantenberg in his rookie year, and then signed him to a two year deal that walked him to UFA in the first place. The idea that he's a third pair defenseman is a construct of this organization driving his value into the dirt annually.

The player owes the Flames organization loyalty for... not suspending him for taking a medical absence? Do people even hear what they are saying?

Kylington is not a third pair defenseman, and he doesn't owe the organization that waived him, exposed him to expansion, and gladly elected over the years to have played guys like Zadorov, Fantenberg, Gustaffsson, Forbort over him. They didn't do him a favour by drafting him, either, as they proceeded to bury him in the minors for years despite him being superior at that level.

I don't know if he wants to play in the NHL or the SHL or at all... but a player of his ability level being treated like a depth piece carried by Tanev (who never carried Hanifin or Giordano or even Quinn Hughes to a top two pair in the NHL) is precisely why he shouldn't be loyal to this team, especially if he rightfully sees himself a lot closer to guys like Shea Theodore and Gustav Forsling than to Jake Bean and Daniil Miromanov

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Who said Tanev didn't make his partner better, exactly? I said that a third pairing defenseman + Tanev does not equate to one of the best D pairs in the NHL.



The article is not the core of my post. It was just the first article that popped up on google.

Kylington-Tanev being one of the best D pairings that year was something I've personally constructed arguments for, I don't need that article.

Honestly, given how this fanbase and organization has treated this player over the years, he probably wanted out a long time ago. The same organization that waived him, exposed him in expansion, traded for Fantenberg in his rookie year, and then signed him to a two year deal that walked him to UFA in the first place. The idea that he's a third pair defenseman is a construct of this organization driving his value into the dirt annually.

The player owes the Flames organization loyalty for... not suspending him for taking a medical absence? Do people even hear what they are saying?

Kylington is not a third pair defenseman, and he doesn't owe the organization that waived him, exposed him to expansion, and gladly elected over the years to have played guys like Zadorov, Fantenberg, Gustaffsson, Forbort over him. They didn't do him a favour by drafting him, either, as they proceeded to bury him in the minors for years despite him being superior at that level.

I don't know if he wants to play in the NHL or the SHL or at all... but a player of his ability level being treated like a depth piece carried by Tanev (who never carried Hanifin or Giordano or even Quinn Hughes to a top two pair in the NHL) is precisely why he shouldn't be loyal to this team, especially if he rightfully sees himself a lot closer to guys like Shea Theodore and Gustav Forsling than to Jake Bean and Daniil Miromanov

OMG put down the pipe, Forsling is a top 10 in the ####ing league

Teams are obviously banging down his door, stupid Flames again! Funny you mentioned he was waived and exposed in expansion...zero takers hmm. Not to mention he is 50/50 to actually show up at camp which is an obvious factor with teams not wanting to give him term.

There have been some overboard posts hating on the guy but this is the other extreme

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

If the Barn Burner guys don't know the reason after two solid years, I doubt anybody outside the organization has accurate information.

The Flames aren’t leaking this. And for any speculation that is going around, it’d be very dangerous for media to speak of it.

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Lets be real, I know people in way worse situations than this to get sad about...if you don't consider yourself lucky.

How could you possibly know that?

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

How could you possibly know that?

I think he is just saying Kylington has more resources than most.