In this edition of Calgary Flames News & Rumors, Brad Treliving spoke about defenseman Oliver Kylington and whether or not he will be back to finish the 2022-23 season. Treliving also discussed his plans for the trade deadline. If the team is able to rack up some wins ahead of the deadline, one player they are rumored to be looking at is Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks.
Kylington’s Return Remains Unclear
After a breakout 2021-22 campaign when he earned career-highs, with nine goals and 31 points in 73 games, Kylington was rewarded with a two-year, $5 million extension in early August. Flames fans were hopeful that the smooth-skating 25-year-old would be able to continue his upward trajectory, but that hasn’t been the case.
Instead, he has yet to play in the 2022-23 season because of a personal matter and remains home in Sweden. While a return hasn’t been ruled out, Treliving admitted when speaking with media that he needs to get an answer one way or another to determine what his team will do at the deadline.
“Yeah, we certainly do,” Treliving said when asked if the team needed to get clarity on the situation. “Those are things that we work on behind the scenes. Yeah, it’s certainly something we want to have clarity on as soon as we possibly can. We want to be supportive, and we have been, but certainly, clarity there is going to be required as we get closer to March 3.”
While this is pure speculation, it seems less and less likely that we will see Kylington in 2022-23, given that we are past the midway point of the season. If that is the case, Treliving could place him on long-term injured reserve, freeing up $2.5 million in cap space, which would make adding a player much easier.
Treliving Unsure on Deadline Approach
Heading into the 2022-23 season, most expected the Flames to be one of the most competitive teams in the Western Conference. With additions like Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar during the offseason, many believed they had a roster capable of going on a Stanley Cup run. After Monday nights loss to the New York Rangers, they find themselves with a 24-17-10 record and are just outside of the playoff picture. So, does Treliving still believe in his group enough to be a buyer at the deadline?
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“Every point and every game is important, and you evaluate. Some of it, too, is you’re evaluating how your team’s playing, and sometimes, the results lag from the performance. But certainly, for us, coming out of the break and that period of time, there’s lots of hockey coming up, and that period of time is going to be important for us to determine what we do at the deadline. So yeah, we’ll be watching closely.”
Treliving is in a tough spot, given that he chose to dish out big contracts to the three new players listed above, and giving up assets for a player at the deadline is a risk, given his team’s place in the standings. But this is also a very talented roster that is capable of heating up and going on a run down the stretch.
Boeser Listed as Flames Target
Treliving has said all season that he would like to add a top-nine forward with offensive skills, and in recent weeks, several players have been linked to the Flames. Some of the most discussed are Vladimir Tarasenko, Ivan Barbashev, and James Van Riemsdyk, but Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff also mentioned Boeser.
Boeser, 25, seems like a prime candidate to be moved ahead of the deadline, as the relationship between him and the Canucks seems to be rigid. His goal scoring has dropped off in recent seasons, though he has still managed to be productive in 2022-23, with 30 points through 42 games. However, he wouldn’t be a rental, given that he has two seasons remaining on his deal after this one, with a cap hit of $6.65 million.
The issue when it comes to trading for Boeser is how the Flames would deal with their cap situation heading into next season. With extensions set to kick in for Huberdeau and Weegar, money will be tight, meaning that if Boeser is brought in, someone else from the roster would likely be on the move, whether it’s ahead of the deadline or in the offseason. Nonetheless, it is worth exploring if you are Treliving, given the high skill level Boeser brings to the table.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
As mentioned, the Flames lost their first game after of the All-Star break on Monday night against the Rangers. They will have the next two days to regroup, as their next outing doesn’t come until Thursday, an away tilt versus the Detroit Red Wings. They will then take on the Buffalo Sabres on the road on Saturday night for their final game of the week.