Calgary Flames place Martin Pospisil on IR, Oliver Kylington returns from conditioning loan
Some moves for the Calgary Flames in the lead up to Saturday night’s edition of the Battle of Alberta.
The Flames placed forward Martin Pospisil on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. They also activated defenseman Dennis Gilbert off of IR.
The notable move is that defenseman Oliver Kylington is being returned to the Flames after a conditioning loan to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Calgary Flames.
Kylington has not played in the NHL since the Flames were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the 2022 playoffs. The 26-year-old took last season off for personal reasons, focusing on improving his mental health before returning to the ice.
Kylington played two games with the Wranglers before getting called back up to the NHL. In 168 career NHL games, the Stockholm native has 14 goals and 33 assists.
Pospisil had to leave Thursday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after awkwardly falling into the boards late in the first period.
Martin Pospisil has been ruled out of the game after he sustained an upper-body injury in the first period. pic.twitter.com/t4WYLXKDph
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 19, 2024
It was reported by DFO’s Frank Seravalli that Pospisil was going to miss a couple of weeks, hoping to be back after the All-Star Break. In 33 games, the Slovakian rookie has four goals and seven assists, and has been an important depth piece down the middle for Calgary this season.
Gilbert has been out of the lineup for the last seven games with a concussion. He was placed on IR after a scary fall following a collision with Nashville Predators forward Philip Tomasino on Jan. 4.
No supplemental discipline appears to be forthcoming for Nashville Predators' center Phillip Tomasino for this slew-foot that injured Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Gilbert: https://t.co/VBXk6uNaAz pic.twitter.com/4C4a4chUSF
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) January 6, 2024
Gilbert has played a career-high 28 games with the Flames this season, as the the 27-year-old has notched a goal and six assists. In 76 career NHL games, where he also played with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks, Gilbert has scored three goals and 11 assists.
Calgary (21-19-5) is set to take on the Oilers on Saturday night. The Flames are fifth in the Pacific Division, four points back of Edmonton for third, and three back of the Los Angeles Kings for the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.