Colorado Avalanche depth chart: Updated lines after Oliver Kylington signing

The Colorado Avalanche announced the signing of defenseman Olive Kylington to a one-year, $1.05 million contract, NHL.com reports. The former Calgary Flames blueliner missed the entire 2022-23 season while dealing with personal issues.

Kylington made a return to the ice last season, playing 33 games for the Flames, registering three goals and eight points.

The 27-year-old Swedish rearguard was the Flames' second-round pick in 2015. He played one game during the 2015-16 season, eventually earning another shot at the NHL during the 2018-19 season. His best year came in 2021-22 when he played 73 games, notching up nine goals and 31 points.

As such, the Colorado Avalanche’s signing of Kylington is nothing more than a depth move. As it stands, Daily Faceoff projects Kylington to slide into the bottom pairing with Calvin de Haan. De Haan is a solid third-pairing defenseman, but Kylington looks more like a seventh or eighth defenseman at this point.

It’s worth noting that the Colorado Avalanche are stacked in their top-four. The top pairing consists of former Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar and Devon Toews, while the second pairing boasts Samuel Girard and Josh Manson.

Here’s a look at how Colorado’s blue line could look this fall:

• Toews – Makar
• Girard – Manson
• De Haan - Kylington

With Colorado’s blue line depth, it’s tough to envision Kylington cracking the top-four. Moreover, the Colorado Avalanche have Erik Brannstrom and Jacob MacDonald under contract for the next season. Both defensemen should get a good look in training camp, so it’s not a given that Kylington will make the team this fall.

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What the Colorado Avalanche can expect from Olive Kylington

The Colorado Avalanche shouldn’t expect a breakthrough season from Kylington. He has never really played a full season, failing to surpass 10 points except for one season. As such, the Avs shouldn’t pin their hopes on him suddenly exploding on the score sheet.

Moreover, Kylington doesn’t project to play on the power play or kill penalties. That’s a complicated situation, especially if injuries become an issue for the Avs on the blue line. Can Kylington move to play in a top-four role if injuries hit hard?

While the Avs may test Kylington in that role, there's little certainty that he could handle the ice time and responsibility that comes with playing in a shutdown role.

Of course, there's always the possibility that Kylington turns things around and is ready to deliver on the potential that made him a second-round pick. However, his track record points toward getting passed over by Brannstrom and MacDonald on the Avs depth chart.

Kylington may eventually find himself in the AHL or become a healthy scratch during the season. Nevertheless, he could become an insurance policy for the Avs, hence the reason why they signed him. Kylington figures to be a low-risk proposition at this point in his career.