3 reasons why Colorado Avalanche should not have signed Oliver Kylington to $1.05M contract 

The Colorado Avalanche announced the signing of defenseman Oliver Kylington to a reported one-year deal worth $1.05 million. Kylington was a finalist last season for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy after returning from a significant personal situation to skate in 33 games for the Calgary Flames last season.

While Kylington projects to be a depth defenseman for the Avalanche, here's a closer look at three reasons that stand out as to why Colorado should not have signed Kylington.

3 reasons why Colorado Avalanche should not have signed Oliver Kylington

#3: The contract is too high for a depth defenseman

Oliver Kylington projects to be in the bottom pairing for the Avs, according to Daily Faceoff. He will look to play on the right side with Calvin de Haan on the left. While he could be a good option at that position, signing him to a $1.05 million cap hit is arguably too high for a depth defenseman.

At best, Kylington projects as a seventh or eighth defenseman on deep teams. As such, the Avalanche may regret signing to that cap hit when they could have gotten another player of similar skills and experience for the league minimum.

#2: Kylington has never played a full season

Since entering the league in 2018-19, he has never played a full season. His best year was 2021-22, where he played 73 games and scored 31 points through nine goals and 22 assists with the Calgary Flames. Notably, he missed the entire 2022-23 season before returning last season to play in 33 games.

Kylington’s history does not bode well for Colorado as the likelihood of him playing a full season seems slim at this point. Thus, the Avs may need to go out and get another defenseman to play on the third pairing, unless the club has internal options to fill the hole.

#1: Kylington offers little offensive or defensive upside

Besides Kylington’s career season, he’s never surpassed 10 points in a season. While he’s not meant to be an offensive defenseman, he doesn’t chip in much at all, making his cap hit high.

Furthermore, Kylington has never been a solid defensive defenseman. Beyond the plus-34, Kylington has registered subpar plus-minus numbers. Last season Kylington was a minus-6, while playing a little over 17 a night.

Overall, signing the Swede was a smart depth move, but not at over $1 million per season. Avs will hope Kylington can stay healthy and play for the entire season. If that’s the case, Colorado may have gotten a bargain out of this contract.

However, given his track record, the Avs may regret making such a substantial bet on Oliver Kylington.