Kylington, who has not played since the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign while dealing with mental health issues, has no time table for suiting up
Fantastic news for Oliver Kylington.
Possibly fantastic news for the Calgary Flames, too.
Kylington, who missed all of last season as well as this season to date, skated with the handful of Flames players at a lightly attended practice on Friday at Max Bell Centre.
It is believed to be the first time he has skated with the club in a formal situation since the end of the 2021-22 season.
Kylington, 26, has been away from the club for personal reasons, and disclosed this past summer he had been receiving treatment for mental health issues. He was expected to join the team for this season, but on the eve of training camp — and after skating during informal sessions in Calgary with many other Flames players — the team announced that following medicals and fitness testing “it was determined that Oliver is unable to participate.”
The club has not given further information and the team said there is no time table for any form of a return to action.
"There is nothing imminent there, but it was a good feeling for us to see him around the room today. Really, that's what it's about," coach Ryan Huska told the assembled media. "We haven't seen much of him lately, so it's nice to see him back skating with a small group of guys.
“At this point, it's just good to see him back again. That's the most important thing for him. We're all hopeful that he continues to progress as we go here, but there is no timeline or anything like that.”
Darren Dreger of TSN reported Kylington had been skating on his own with a trainer for “several weeks”. Being back with teammates is a big deal.
"I was super excited when I heard yesterday he was coming in," captain Mikael Backlund said. "I was really happy to see him this morning and he looked like he was doing really well and was happy to be here.
“We've kept in touch the whole time, even last season," Backlund added. "It's easy now that you send a text and all that. We talked on the phone a couple times last year, too. When he came here just before camp, I had him over. It's too bad. We were all excited and thought he was going to come back right away then, but it's a process and we're happy with where he is now and we're happy he's feeling well.”
Kylington signed a two-year contract with a $2.5 million salary cap hit after he collected nine goals and 31 points in 73 regular season games.
A return could be a boon for the Flames, who traded away veteran defenceman Nikita Zadorov on Thursday and summoned Ilya Solovyov from the AHL Wranglers.
If he can make it back to playing, Kylington could provide the Flames with a potential top-four defenceman.