Calgary Flames player makes major announcement on leave of absence

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Liam McCormick
January 4, 2024 (10:36)

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Moments ago, the Calgary Flames and defenceman Oliver Kylington announced in a joint statement that the player would be returning to the lineup after taking a leave of absence to focus on his mental health.

In the brief statement, Kylington thanked the Flames organization greatly for allowing him the time away to get better, and expressed his great excitement about returning to the lineup.

Kylington missed the entire 2023-24 season after he didn't report to training camp, and details were kept close to the vest by then-GM Brad Treliving, only confirming that his absence had nothing to do with substance abuse. After a while news came out that Kylington was taking a leave for mental health reasons, and he later detailed in a Swedish interview that he was undergoing cognitive behavioural therapy. Kylington never alluded to what issue was plaguing him, but added did reveal that he there was issues going on in his family that escalated for the worse.

Now, GM Craig Conroy has put out another statement expressing their happiness for Kylington's recovery, and their plan for his return to the NHL lineup. For now, Kylington has been re-assigned to the AHL for a conditioning stint, after which he is expected to join the Flames again.

Kylington, now 26 years old, was drafted by in the second round by the Flames in the 2015 NHL draft. Since then, he's gone on to play 168 career games, including a fantastic breakout year in 2022, where he scored 9 goals and 31 points in 73 games. He still has one year left on his contract at a value of $2.5M. Hopefully, all Flames fans and hockey fans are rooting for the best in Kylington's recovery and return to the NHL.