Entering the 2021–22 season, the Calgary Flames desperately needed somebody to take a step forward and fill their final top-four spot on defence.
The Flames already had Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Rasmus Andersson locked into spots. Nikita Zadorov was certainly paid like a No. 4 defender, but he really struggled and spent time as a healthy scratch early on.
Juuso Valimaki received a couple of looks at the start of the year but had a tough time clicking under Darryl Sutter. Connor Mackey spent most of the season in the AHL.
During the 2021 off-season, the Flames re-signed Oliver Kylington to a one-year contract extension.