Oliver Kylington

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

To be fair Kylington was originally projected to go 10-20 OA, but dropped like a brick for reasons I can't recall.

Because everyone realized Kylington was going to take as long as he has to make it to the show, and longer before he becomes the impact player he can be.

A four or five year project in the top 20 is not popular with the fans. See ~4 years of threads pertaining to Jankowksi, Mark.

Kylington is the exact type of player you draft at the back of the 2nd round.

[Fan in Exile]

Exactly. His earlier high draft projection was based on his tantalizing skillset but it was apparent he needed time and development to round out his game. He has taken huge steps forward and I don't think we've seen all he can do yet. He is progressing exactly as hoped. I don't think it would be wise asset management to move him after what has been invested and given his enormous remaining potential.

Still not sufficiently reliable to be fully trusted but once he is, he's going to be an enormously impactful player. If he is to be traded, I would hope it would be for a very valuable return because this is the kind of move you end up regretting down the road.

[Fan in Exile]

Actually after reading that 2015 Hockey Writers report posed by GranteedEV, the projection was that Kylington was more NHL-ready and Hanifin was more of a project! But I believe this perception had changed by draft time.

Nevertheless, I see why Kylington was compared to Karlsson. He has the potential to be that kind of impact player. That said, he also has the risk of being a guy that lacks the all-round game to ever be a top pairing guy. Really want the Flames to be patient with this.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Fan in Exile

Actually after reading that 2015 Hockey Writers report posed by GranteedEV, the projection was that Kylington was more NHL-ready and Hanifin was more of a project! But I believe this perception had changed by draft time.

Nevertheless, I see why Kylington was compared to Karlsson. He has the potential to be that kind of impact player. That said, he also has the risk of being a guy that lacks the all-round game to ever be a top pairing guy. Really want the Flames to be patient with this.

I think Hanifin WAS a project himself. Carolina was just a team willing to play him in the NHL. Hanifin admitted once that he wasn't very good in the defensive zone before Bill Peters worked with him on it. This is Hanifin's first year killing penalties for Peters too. Took three years to build that trust. On a team that missed the playoffs four years in a row while Calgary had expectations of making the playoffs every year four years in a row (bad goaltending in 2016, and we all know what happened in 2018)

Before this year Peters was sheltering Hanifin on the third pair. Hanifin was a -53 as a Hurricane including -20 last year so there must have been a lot of growing pains for the player. I believe Calgary keeping Kylington and Andersson on the AHL so long was a Calgary thing, not a Kylington thing. I believe if Hanifin had been drafted by Calgary, Treliving may have been extra patient, keeping him in the NCAA and AHL and this could well be Hanifin's rookie year.

The only D in that draft that really seemed to have NHL polish in my opinion was Ivan Provorov.

[Shazam]

Yup, Hanifin started in the NHL way too early. Carolina needs lots of cheap ELCs.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Fan in Exile

Actually after reading that 2015 Hockey Writers report posed by GranteedEV, the projection was that Kylington was more NHL-ready and Hanifin was more of a project! But I believe this perception had changed by draft time.

Nevertheless, I see why Kylington was compared to Karlsson. He has the potential to be that kind of impact player. That said, he also has the risk of being a guy that lacks the all-round game to ever be a top pairing guy. Really want the Flames to be patient with this.

The puck can explode of Kylington's stick in a way that it just doesn't for every other player on this team, Gio included.

When I watch him play, yes he makes mistakes. Show me a D with 30 NHL games who doesn't. But when he makes mistakes, especially in the offensive zone, it's remarkable to watch him be back in position two or three seconds later. There have been multiple instances where Kylington effortlessly comes from a light year away to take away time and space and disrupt a rush.

He's going to be a very good NHL defenseman, and I would hate to lose him.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

But when he makes mistakes, especially in the offensive zone, it's remarkable to watch him be back in position two or three seconds later. There have been multiple instances where Kylington effortlessly comes from a light year away to take away time and space and disrupt a rush.l

I agree, but I don't think this is limited to his own mistakes. He has been covering for his teammates plenty too.

[Moneyhands23]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Well, there is the expansion draft to consider.

Oh yes. There is that. Good point!

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Moneyhands23

Oh yes. There is that. Good point!

I think you re-sign Brodie and Hamonic to retirement contracts. That gives you a D-core deep enough that you accept you're going to lose a good player, and you deal with it.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

You think he tops out as a top pairing quality defenseman who gets the odd Norris vote in his better years? And that we will have 3 defensemen better than him on the roster?

I'd be pretty ok with that.

Top pairing if paired with the right partner. Brodie without Gio would not be a top pairing dman IMO. The other three though, I can see as top pairing guys on their own. So yes, I do see them better. Which is awesome as a Flames fan (and probably biased as well :-)).

[imeubu]

Originally Posted by flamesforcup

If Kylington had a better shot i think he would already have cemented himself as a top 4 dman. He kind of reminds me of Ghostesbhere without the lethal shot. I think he has looked good for his rookie year and if he gets comfortable u never know he could get to Brodies level.

Hear Hear!!!!

[imeubu]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

The puck can explode of Kylington's stick in a way that it just doesn't for every other player on this team, Gio included.

When I watch him play, yes he makes mistakes. Show me a D with 30 NHL games who doesn't. But when he makes mistakes, especially in the offensive zone, it's remarkable to watch him be back in position two or three seconds later. There have been multiple instances where Kylington effortlessly comes from a light year away to take away time and space and disrupt a rush.

He's going to be a very good NHL defenseman, and I would hate to lose him.

Wish I'd seen this before I went to battle on posting my own topic. Finally I have some hope that Kylington is getting noticed after all. I just wasn't able to find support for what I was seeing... he is a phenom... at least in waiting. I wonder why he isn't getting a lot more ice time in key situations so we have him better positioned in case we need depth in the playoffs. I'd be getting him out there hoping whatever mistakes he's going to make get spotted and addressed asap. Love that someone else sees his potential.

[imeubu]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Because everyone realized Kylington was going to take as long as he has to make it to the show, and longer before he becomes the impact player he can be.

A four or five year project in the top 20 is not popular with the fans. See ~4 years of threads pertaining to Jankowksi, Mark.

Kylington is the exact type of player you draft at the back of the 2nd round.

I'm used to being "under-resourced" so I don't mind being proven wrong. With that in mind I'm more than willing to go on record now as saying that Kylington has a lot more value than even we who like him have fathomed.

If this guy's career ever gets to the point where he is the "go to" guy... we'll see something really special.

Lot's can happen of course that would prevent that from happening... but... waxing prophetic... mark my words... WOW!!

[imeubu]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

There's no way that Oliver has a higher ceiling than Valimaki. Valimaki skates almost as well IMO, and does everything else better. Same with Hanifin. There's a reason one was a second rounder and the other two were firsts (and Hanifin was a high first).

And this is precisely what it is that I do not see. So I really appreciate your comments. I need to look even harder because as it stands now I'm absolutely convinced Kylington is much better. I needed that. Thanks. I'll go back and re-examine.

[AC]

Who's Kylington's agent?

[imeubu]

Originally Posted by ramil600

I think he has tons of raw skills, speed and puck driving, but he is still lagging at the defensive coverage and judgement; plays too risky sometimes, creating turnovers. Given that Flames now have the great defensemen pipeline and are currently in the win-now mode, them using Kylington as a blue chip prospect trade-bait seems quite reasonable to me.

I've watched and re-watched. Yet to see him turn the puck over... maybe once or twice it happened but not out of his making a bad decision.

I see not only "good judgment" but 10 out of 10 in that regard.

Passing is unbelievable... soft, on the tape, consistently.

I'll go back and look again. Maybe I've missed a couple of plays.

[Manhattanboy]

When is his contract up?

Gaudreauvertime has been reincarnated.

[imeubu]

Originally Posted by TheSquatch

How spoiled are the Flames to have a bunch of really good looking D prospects?

I was listening to the 960 guys chatting about potential moves, and kind of tossing Kylington's name around as a piece in a trade, and I thought "Oh my God, let's hope not."

And the reason it bugs me so much is that yeah, this year we have lots of depth on left d. and maybe next year. But eventually Gio is going to need less ice, or eventually he gets traded, or injured or something.... he isn't here and he isn't dominant for ever and ever.

So to me, these young core-type pieces should not be shuffled out in any kind of "all in" deal to get a top-six winger or whatever. You don't build a long-term winner that way. I can see making a deal with a lesser prospect and even picks at this point (because guys like Andersson and Kylington and Valimaki are worth more than picks) to add the right components at the deadline (and again, this only works for me because Flames have good young prospects and a young core, the window to win is opening, by the time next year's draft picks are playing regular, that window may be closing).

"Untouchable"? No, obviously not. But I think all three of these young defenders need to be kept under most circumstances.

Amen!

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by AC

Who's Kylington's agent?

Ian Meubu

[imeubu]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

A few games ago, an opposing foreward blew by Andersson on a breakaway. Kylington came from across the ice on a diagonal at speed and intercepted the forward bumping him off the puck without taking a penalty. Not a lot of D-men could have managed that.

And there are many examples similar of where Kylington shows ultra elite on-ice awareness and positioning. Not sure this is being absorbed here as much as I think it should be. We're talking "instinct"... even more than talent I think. There is just something I see that is extremely rare about how he "sees" and positions himself off the puck. He has more than enough talent with the puck to qualify. I see Gio ++ in his ability to do the equivalent of "read the defense and audible at the line"