Oliver Kylington

[Lanny_McDonald]

I see Kylington as a Brodie replacement. Same skill set, same challenges, maybe plays a little more physical, but is a similar player. Will be a good partner for Giordano next year.

[Fan in Exile]

Originally Posted by Captaincanada80

I like him a lot, however he falls 4th on the Expansion draft protection list leaving him a lame duck to be claimed. Losing him for nothing. Treliving did the best of 30 GM’s the first time around. I expect much of the same on the 2nd go around.

1. Hanafin
2. Valamaki
3. Andersson
4. Killington

If you can include him in a bigger deal (Stone) you do it.

The other three are more reliable and have more rounded games than Kyllington right now but he's the most dynamic of the four and has the highest ceiling. Even if we do end up dealing him, I think you wait until he develops more to increase his value. No way I would deal him now. His value to the Flames or in a trade could escalate dramatically over the next year.

[Love]

Valimaki
Kylington
Hanifin
Andersson

is how i think it'll be looking 3 years from now. we know they'll all be very good d-men, i just hope one of them can emerge as a true #1

[Captaincanada80]

Originally Posted by Fan in Exile

The other three are more reliable and have more rounded games than Kyllington right now but he's the most dynamic of the four and has the highest ceiling. Even if we do end up dealing him, I think you wait until he develops more to increase his value. No way I would deal him now. His value to the Flames or in a trade could escalate dramatically over the next year.

Keep in mind too that Hanafin, Valamaki and Kylington all play the left side. Anderson the only of the 4 playing RLD

[AustinL_NHL]

How do so many people have trouble spelling Kylington, Valimaki, Hanifin and Andersson?

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

How do so many people have trouble spelling Kylington, Valimaki, Hanifin and Andersson?

Välimäki.

[AC]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

How do so many people have trouble spelling Kylington, Valimaki, Hanifin and Andersson?

Sadly, it's nothing new.

Monohan, Neil, Bennet, Takchuk, Tkachuck, Jerome, Grandlund, McGratten, McGratton, etc.

[AustinL_NHL]

Originally Posted by AC

Sadly, it's nothing new.

Monohan, Neil, Bennet, Takchuk, Tkachuck, Jerome, Grandlund, McGratten, McGratton, etc.

Fair point. I know it's something minor but it just annoys me whenever I see players' names misspelled. Just automatically loses credibility for me whenever I see someone make a statement about a player all while writing a completely different name.

It's not that difficult to learn haha

[Moneyhands23]

I hope Sushi restaurants in calgary start making Valamaki rolls!

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Fan in Exile

The other three are more reliable and have more rounded games than Kyllington right now but he's the most dynamic of the four and has the highest ceiling. Even if we do end up dealing him, I think you wait until he develops more to increase his value. No way I would deal him now. His value to the Flames or in a trade could escalate dramatically over the next year.

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).

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

I like Kylington, but I think he tops out as Brodie IMO. Good skating dman that is prone to some boneheaded plays. I would rank him 4th among our young dmen, after Hanafin, Andersson, and Valimaki.

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.

[djsFlames]

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).

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

[Moneyhands23]

There is absolutely no reason to trade or worry about any of our young dman. The fact that they all look like top 4 dman is amazing! Let them all sign 5-7 year reasonable deals and enjoy not having to search for over priced less talented dman. Then spend our top 2 picks on forwards for the next 2/3 years!

Who cares where the end up slotting themselves once they are signed and killing it!

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Moneyhands23

There is absolutely no reason to trade or worry about any of our young dman. The fact that they all look like top 4 dman is amazing! Let them all sign 5-7 year reasonable deals and enjoy not having to search for over priced less talented dman. Then spend our top 2 picks on forwards for the next 2/3 years!

Who cares where the end up slotting themselves once they are signed and killing it!

Well, there is the expansion draft to consider.

[GranteedEV]

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).

Honestly, I don't put much stock into draft position for defensemen, or early success either. A lot depends on how guys continue to develop. He's a bit on the exception side, but look no further than Gio, he didn't hit his prime until his 30s, well after guys like Suter, Weber, Phaneuf had established themselves as household names. A lot of the best defensemen - Chara, Lidstrom, Letang, Subban, Josi, Keith, Vlasic were drafted in the second or third round themselves. I doubt Blackhawks fans thought Keith had a higher ceiling than the do-it-all Seabrook, either, but that's how those pieces fell into place. Development takes years.

And yes a lot of really good defensemen - Karlsson, Burns, McDonagh, Carlson, Klefbom - were also drafted in the mid-late first round. But if Valimaki is one of these guys and Kylington is one of those guys, who can say who has a higher ceiling? You just gotta be patient and watch them develop, day by day, shift by shift, year by year. They're just a bunch of tools and skills right now and defense is a mental position, where time has to start slowing down for some guys at some point in their careers and they start seeing a cycle and knowing exactlt what they need to do to either break it or get in position to block a shot or whether to defer to their partner.

Look at Aaron Ekblad. Sky looked like the limit for him after his first couple years partnered with Brian Campbell, and maybe it still is too. But I wouldn't be shocked if 3rd round pick Brandon Montour is performing as a better overall player five years from now either, and that sounds like crazy talk for when they were 20 or 21.

I'm not convinced we've seen TJ Brodie's ceiling yet either. He was trending so far upwards in 2015-16 before Glen Gulutzan happened, and this year has felt like a rehab year for the guy more than anything, just getting back to the right side of the ice and actually joining the play, plus getting back to hard matchups instead of babysitting a helpless Wideman or dealing with a total lack of fit with Hamonic. This season reminds me of Brodie's 2014-15 season where he was happy being Gio's #2, whereas the year afterwards, and a confidence boosting playoff run later, he outplayed a rusty Giordano in the 200ft game and really led the charge on that pair. Remember, Giordano said at one point in 2015-16 that his partner was a top 5 defenseman in the NHL, and Gio doesn't just say things recklessly. He never had such praise for Dougie Hamilton for instance.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Honestly, I don't put much stock into draft position for defensemen, or early success either. A lot depends on how guys continue to develop. He's a bit on the exception side, but look no further than Gio, he didn't hit his prime until his 30s, well after guys like Suter, Weber, Phaneuf had established themselves as household names. A lot of the best defensemen - Chara, Lidstrom, Letang, Subban, Josi, Keith, Vlasic were drafted in the second or third round themselves. I doubt Blackhawks fans thought Keith had a higher ceiling than the do-it-all Seabrook, either, but that's how those pieces fell into place. Development takes years.

And yes a lot of really good defensemen - Karlsson, Burns, McDonagh, Carlson, Klefbom - were also drafted in the mid-late first round. But if Valimaki is one of these guys and Kylington is one of those guys, who can say who has a higher ceiling? You just gotta be patient and watch them develop, day by day, shift by shift, year by year. They're just a bunch of tools and skills right now and defense is a mental position, where time has to start slowing down for some guys at some point in their careers and they start seeing a cycle and knowing exactlt what they need to do to either break it or get in position to block a shot or whether to defer to their partner.

Look at Aaron Ekblad. Sky looked like the limit for him after his first couple years partnered with Brian Campbell, and maybe it still is too. But I wouldn't be shocked if 3rd round pick Brandon Montour is performing as a better overall player five years from now either, and that sounds like crazy talk for when they were 20 or 21.

I'm not convinced we've seen TJ Brodie's ceiling yet either. He was trending so far upwards in 2015-16 before Glen Gulutzan happened, and this year has felt like a rehab year for the guy more than anything, just getting back to the right side of the ice and actually joining the play, plus getting back to hard matchups instead of babysitting a helpless Wideman or dealing with a total lack of fit with Hamonic. This season reminds me of Brodie's 2014-15 season where he was happy being Gio's #2, whereas the year afterwards he outplayed a rusty Giordano in the 200ft game and really led the charge on that pair.

I don't put a lot of stock in it either, except that in this case, we are seeing exactly what the scouts said about these guys in their present play. Except for maybe Andersson who is outplaying the scouting by a large margin.

In any event I think Kylington has one really great asset and is better than I would have hoped in others. But I don't see the huge difference between that asset and the skating of Valimaki or Hanifin (both of whom I see as likley number ones more than Kylington). I think Kylington will probably always need a good partner with a well rounded game.

As an aside I strongly disagree that Brodie outplayed Gio in 15-16. I don't think that has ever happened. And I thought, despite a couple more assists, that Brodie was better in 14-15 than the next year.

[Fan in Exile]

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).

The reason Hanifin and Valimaki were higher picks is they are safer bets. I think Kylington has the most offensive potential. Not sure he reaches that potential but wouldn’t be at all surprised if he breaks out dramatically in the next year or two.

[1991 Canadian]

I am somewhat curious what the trade market for Kylington would be.

If Valimaki is healthy, Kylington is 4th on the LHD depth chart. The 4th LHD doesn’t push the needle. I really like what he brings now and his potential, but he doesn’t have a future spot on the Flames until Gio retires. Based on how Gio is playing, that is going to be what, 2025? 2030?

Once Valimaki is fully back, the Flames could put Kylington in the minors for this year and next without waivers. While this flexibility and depth is a great, that is a year and half of time where the Flames could have a full time regular player contributing on their roster. I think Kylington has enough value to land them an upgrade on the wings or a backup goalie.

At some point as well, you have to feel for the individual. He has played 3.5 years in the AHL. He has said all the right things and done what the organization has asked of him. He’s improved his defensive play. He has shown over the last 30 games that he does not look out of place in the NHL.

The message to Oliver at this point is basically “You’re an NHL player, but we have three guys ahead of you so you only get to play if one of them is injured. Enjoy another year of Stockton. Try not to get stabbed.”

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by 1991 Canadian

I am somewhat curious what the trade market for Kylington would be.

If Valimaki is healthy, Kylington is 4th on the LHD depth chart. The 4th LHD doesn’t push the needle. I really like what he brings now and his potential, but he doesn’t have a future spot on the Flames until Gio retires. Based on how Gio is playing, that is going to be what, 2025? 2030?

Once Valimaki is fully back, the Flames could put Kylington in the minors for this year and next without waivers. While this flexibility and depth is a great, that is a year and half of time where the Flames could have a full time regular player contributing on their roster. I think Kylington has enough value to land them an upgrade on the wings or a backup goalie.

At some point as well, you have to feel for the individual. He has played 3.5 years in the AHL. He has said all the right things and done what the organization has asked of him. He’s improved his defensive play. He has shown over the last 30 games that he does not look out of place in the NHL.

The message to Oliver at this point is basically “You’re an NHL player, but we have three guys ahead of you so you only get to play if one of them is injured. Enjoy another year of Stockton. Try not to get stabbed.”

Kylington was projected to go top-five early in his draft year (if I recall correctly).

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Makarov

Kylington was projected to go top-five early in his draft year (if I recall correctly).

16 year old Kylington was highly regarded. Here's one that had him going at 3rd overall before Hanifin, Strome, Barzal at 4th/5th/6th.

https://thehockeywriters.com/2015-nh...ember-edition/

Barzal and Kylington were big time fallers in the draft after somewhat injury plagued draft years.