Glenn Gawdin, Oliver Kylington make Calgary Flames’ final roster

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Up-and-coming centre Glenn Gawdin is sticking around the Saddledome.

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Ditto for smooth-skating defenceman Oliver Kylington.

While there weren’t any major surprises Sunday as the Calgary Flames finalized their opening roster for the 2021-22 campaign, there was confirmation that Gawdin and Kylington, both 24, would be rewarded for their impressive performances in training camp and pre-season action.

Gawdin will likely skate as the Flames’ fourth-line pivot — especially if Brad Richardson misses time due to a lower-body injury — and Kylington will continue to compete for a third-pairing role on the blue-line.

This isn’t uncharted territory for either. Gawdin suited up for seven games last season, while Kylington has totalled 95 nights of NHL know-how.

“The big thing I noticed from the guys that do well in this league is that consistency every night,” Gawdin said earlier this week. “You know what you’re getting from them, and they have that level that they want to get to every night, too.”

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Gawdin has been working not just to reach this highest level, but to stay.

Although he seemed to be on the rise after earning an American Hockey League all-star nod in 2018-19, he wasn’t able to make the full-time jump last season. When the team signed established veterans Trevor Lewis and Richardson over the summer, many figured Gawdin would be headed back to the AHL’s Stockton Heat.

It was the same story for Kylington, who seemed to be buried on the defensive depth chart after spending most of last winter on the taxi squad. He was a standout during exhibition action but will still need a solid week of practice to crack the lineup for Saturday’s regular-season opener against Connor McDavid and the arch-rival Oilers in Edmonton. The Flames have opted to carry eight rearguards, and Kylington and Juuso Valimaki are vying for third-pairing duties on the left side.

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While making the team is a nice first step, Gawdin realizes that the only way to ensure this is a permanent stay is to be a consistent contributor. The right-hander potted a pair of goals during the pre-season, although it’s even more important that he is responsible in his own zone and strong at the faceoff dot.

“I think it’s just working every day,” said Gawdin, saluted as the Western Hockey League’s playoff MVP back in 2018, prior to a mid-week matchup in Winnipeg. “If you have a good game or have a bad game, it doesn’t really matter. It’s always a new day. What you did in years past or whatever, that doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s kind of what have you done for me lately? One bad game, you could obviously be out of the lineup, so you have to come to work every day.

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“You’re not going to get anywhere from previous seasons — it’s what you’re doing now and what you’re capable of,” he added. “I think for myself, too, I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder that I want to get better and prove people wrong and that I can play in this league.”

The Flames’ final cuts were goaltender Adam Werner, defenceman Connor Mackey and forwards Walker Duehr, Byron Froese and Justin Kirkland. (The roster deadline isn’t until 3 p.m. MT on Monday, but it appears that the Saddledome crew is set.)

Calgary’s bench boss, Darryl Sutter, was adamant after Friday’s final tuneup that anyone who’d managed to hang around this long would be a part of the plan this season.

“They may not be on the opening-night roster, and they may not be on the 23-man roster, but everybody who is still here is going to play with the Flames,” Sutter stressed after his squad skated to 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, capping their exhibition slate with a 3-4-1 record. “For us to be a playoff team … we’ll need them all.”

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It’s worth noting the Flames can continue to tinker with their roster prior to the lid-lifter in Edmonton. With Blake Coleman suspended, they might need to recall a forward if one of Tyler Pitlick (knee) or Richardson is not ready for that Hockey Night in Canada clash.

FLAMES’ OPENING ROSTER 

Goalies: Jacob Markstrom, Daniel Vladar

Defencemen: Rasmus Andersson, Erik Gudbranson, Noah Hanifin, Oliver Kylington, Michael Stone, Chris Tanev, Juuso Valimaki, Nikita Zadorov

Forwards: Mikael Backlund, Dillon Dube, Johnny Gaudreau, Glenn Gawdin, Trevor Lewis, Elias Lindholm, Milan Lucic, Andrew Mangiapane, Sean Monahan, Tyler Pitlick, Brad Richardson, Brett Ritchie, Matthew Tkachuk

*Right-winger Blake Coleman is suspended for one game

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