The Edmonton Oilers did really well for themselves this offseason as they added some key pieces in hopes of making a deep playoff run. With Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson joining the team to bolster the forward depth, the team didn’t do much to improve their defensive lineup heading into the 2024-25 campaign. While they added Josh Brown for $1 million annually over three seasons, they missed out on a bargain addition to their blue line after a recent announcement. The Colorado Avalanche recently signed Oliver Kylington to a one-year contract worth just $1.05 million, as he looks to make a full-time return to the NHL after having dealt with some personal issues over the past two seasons and only playing 33 games since the 2022-23 campaign.
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At 27 years old, Kylington is a left-shot defender who stands 6-feet, 183 pounds and is from Stockholm, Sweden. While fans were hoping the Oilers would try and pursue a replacement on the right side for Cody Ceci, they have seemingly decided that they’re willing to run it back this season with almost the same defensive group as last season. Adding Kylington for $1.05 million instead of Brown at $1 million is something they should have tried to get done, as Brown has been widely considered one of the weaker two-way defenders in the NHL, whereas Kylington has some potential to bounce back. Unfortunately, it seems as though the Oilers missed out on a bargain.
Kylington Doesn’t Move the Needle, But He’s a Great Addition to the Avalanche
The Avalanche will be looking to make it back to the postseason and go on another deep playoff run this season. They were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the second round last season in just six games, and they didn’t seem to have much of a chance of getting past them. The Stars were a much deeper team both offensively and defensively and the Avalanche were simply no match for them, and it showed. Adding Kylington to their blue line makes their depth heading into the new season a lot better, but he may not move the needle enough to put them into championship contention and give them a shot at their second Stanley Cup since 2022.
Looking at the strength of the Western Conference, it’s hard to bet against the Avalanche after the moves they’ve been able to make this summer, and Kylington adds to their strength. He likely fits into their third-pairing playing on his off-side alongside Calvin de Haan. When it comes to what the Oilers needed, it was a defender to play on the third-pairing alongside Brett Kulak in order to elevate Philip Broberg to the second-pairing beside Darnell Nurse. If Kylington had interest in the Oilers, they should have offered him a contract a while ago and utilized him as their Ceci replacement this season.
At the end of the day, the Oilers have missed out on what could have been a bargain deal for them this season. I would much rather have had Kylington signed as a depth addition than Brown, but I still feel confident in the Oilers’ ability to make another deep playoff run with the team they’ve built this offseason. It’s fair to assume they will still be looking to make a cap-clearing move to be buyers at the trade deadline, and Ceci could be a trade candidate after a tough 2023-24 campaign. Either way, the Oilers missed out on a bargain free agent signing in Kylington, and it’s something they’ll have to live with if he’s able to bounce back and be a solid contributor for the Avalanche this season.
