The Calgary Flames took a major step back in 2022-23 after a disastrous summer, and with the absence of young blue liner Oliver Kylington, another offensive punch was lost. <h2>A solid young player</h2> <div align='center' style='padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:20px;'><img src='https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/296944.webp' width='100%' border='0' alt='image' loading='lazy' defer /></div> Kylington has been on the verge of a breakout for years in Calgary, and in his first full season with the team in 2021-22, he stood out in a major way. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Str8OuttaCGY/status/1459343927652225025'> </a></blockquote></div> The 26-year old would play in a career high 73 games while recording 9 goals and 31 points, but ahead of the 2022-23 season, it was announced by the team that he would be missed indefinitely, before he eventually missed the entire season. <h2>An understandable explanation</h2> Much speculation surrounded the absence, but on Thursday, the young Swede explained all, revealing that family issues and mental health struggles were the reason for his absence. <q>It was a challenging year for me personally. Things that been going on in my family for a long time and it's been escalating for the worse. I've been suffering from mental health problems and been handling it like a lot of other people do, swept it under the rug and put the lid on. For me, that resulted in mental illness and it got really bad for me. The way I took care of my problems made me feel really bad.</q> However, it appears the young defenceman is feeling better and ready to return to Calgary, and with a pairing alongside Chris Tanev awaiting him, the Flames are ready to see some great production from their blue line. <q>Fantastic, absolutely fantastic. I feel great and it's fun to get started and I'm really looking forward to a new season. I've only felt commitment from the management in Calgary and my teammates and that helps for sure. It will be fun to get back to my everyday life. I have missed it very much.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/sjobergh/status/1689671583541993475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1689671583541993475%7Ctwgr%5Ea1eeb916625a09a2e01dab0b298d3dfa6da63e87%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bladeofsteel.com%2FFlames-defenceman-shares-why-he-sat-out-the-entire-2022-23-season-264484'> </a></blockquote></div> As Read on Blade of Steel - <a href='https://www.bladeofsteel.com/nhl-team/calgary-flames/Flames-defenceman-shares-why-he-sat-out-the-entire-2022-23-season' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Flames defenceman shares why he sat out the entire 2022-23 season</a>