July 13th, 2024
Alex Rickman
Beyond the expected top pair of Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek, the Canucks look limited on options for defencemen who can move the puck. While players like Carson Soucy, Tyler Myers, and the newly signed Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais bring their own value to an NHL lineup, none are particularly gifted in transition or at getting the puck up the ice. This could be a problem for the Canucks down the stretch and may lead to an overreliance on the Hughes-Hronek pair to bail them out in important situations and too much zone time for the opposing offences. So who could the Canucks look to add to a mostly completed defensive core who could relieve them of this issue? With the majority of free agents now off the market and with their new teams, pickings are slim, but one option stands out as the most intriguing defenceman the Canucks could look to bring in.
Swedish defenceman Oliver Kylington, coming off a return from a mental health leave that saw him miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season and the majority of last season, jumps off the page as the most intriguing option for the Canucks to consider. It’s unclear how the missed time will effect Kylington going forward, but if a player resembling what we have seen over the majority of his career is what we get going forward, a Kylington signing could turn out to be a heist for whoever lands his services. AFP Analytics currently project that Kylington will command a one-year deal at around $1.2 million, fitting well under the approximately $3.5 million in cap space that the Canucks will have once Tucker Poolman is placed on LTIR. So the money works, and he’s still on the market with the potential to give the Canucks a player who could potentially be one of the steals of free agency. But what exactly about Kylington is it that makes him the man for the job, as opposed to a more experienced option like Kevin Shattenkirk or local product Tyson Barrie, or a younger player like Calen Addison?
Stylistically, Kylington does not jump off the page as the type of player Rick Tocchet likes to fill his defence with. At 6’0 and 183 lbs, Kylington is not small but is anything but the hulking figure that Tocchet likes to stock his blue line with. Kylington has, at times, had some struggles playing in his own zone, although these have often been mitigated when playing with a more defensively inclined partner. So why should he be on the Canucks radar? No one in the Canucks bottom four is able to move the puck and play in transition like Kylington can, and if the Canucks are unable to bring in a player who is better versed at getting the puck out of the zone, it could cause problems all season long. Kylington’s ability to make a clean first pass or carry the puck out himself in calm, controlled manner could prove vital over the course of a season, not only giving the Canucks a chance to take pressure off the goalie but also potentially enhancing the play of a more defensively oriented counterpart on the right side.
Kylington’s low expected cost and potential upside are another reason that the Canucks should take a long look at adding the Stockholm native to their ranks. At $1.2 million, should a Kylington experiment not work out as the Canucks hope, little damage would be done by putting him in the press box, and a trade to a team where he may have better success would be very manageable. Additionally, if it does work out, Kylington has the potential to massively outplay the contract he is expected to recieve, potentially even playing his way into a role in the Canucks top four. Kylington also seems like an ideal partner for Vincent Desharnais, a big bodied defensive defenceman who has played his best hockey when partnered with a fleet of foot, skilled partner. As well, if Kylington were to be a poor fit in Vancouver, the Canucks presently have three NHL calibre left handed defenceman on the roster, so they would not be without another option to fill his spot in the lineup, although to say that Kylington’s game is not too similar to that of Derek Forbort would be the understatement of the century. At the end of the day, adding Oliver Kylington would be nearly risk free for Vancouver given his small contract and the Canucks already having players who can play in the NHL at the position, and the upside Kylington has makes it nearly impossible for a signing to be viewed as a failure, even if he struggles to fit in on the Canucks.
From Kylington’s perspective, however, there may be other options that could appeal more than beginning the season on the Canucks bottom pair. While the Canucks are an infinitely better team, perhaps going to a weaker team, such as the San Jose Sharks, would allow Kylington to play more meaningful minutes. The chance to be a key member of a defence rather than a mere reclamation project could appeal to a player looking to remake a name for himself in the NHL, and Kylington would no doubt be available for trade at the deadline should he perform well with a selling team. Ultimately, it’s unclear what exactly Kylington hopes to do next, but there is a world in which he could turn down an approach from Vancouver to seek out better minutes with a worse team.
So if the Canucks did miss out on Kylington, who could they potentially seek out if they still wanted to add on the blue line? Unfortunately, options are extremely limited at this time, which adds to the appeal of a player like Kylington. Veteran options like Kevin Shattenkirk, Tyson Barrie, and Justin Schultz remain, but all come with their own red flags that make Kylington a more worthwhile addition. The once highly touted prospect Calen Addison is also still unsigned, but after a season bad enough to not even merit a qualifying offer from the Sharks, it would be beyond shocking to see Addison earn a full-time NHL job, much less with a contending team like the Canucks. Signings of restricted free agents or a trade also remain possible, but with the subtractions that would be required to add a player of substance, it’s hard to argue that a gamble on Kylington isn’t one of the best possible courses of action for Vancouver. Additionally, a trade doesn’t have to be made in the offseason and could wait until the regular season after Kylington has been given a chance to prove what he can do.
There are plenty of reasons that a move for Kylington could not happen. Another team, be it a contender or bottom feeder, could beat the Canucks for his services. A surprise trade or offer sheet could be made by the ever-secretive Canucks front office. A breakout season could be expected based on intel the Canucks organization has that the public is not yet privy to. But, knowing what we know, it makes too much sense for the Canucks to not give Oliver Kylington a chance to show what he’s capable of in blue and green.
And, if the reasons outlined have not been enough to convince you that Kylington would be a worthwhile acquisition, just imagine how annoyed Flames fans could get at us poaching one of their players.