At long last, the wait is over.
The Calgary Flames and forward Connor Zary came to terms on a three-year, $11,325,000 contract on Friday. The deal carries an annual average value of $3,775,000 and totals 4% of Calgary’s available cap space.
Zary, 23, will have one season of RFA eligibility remaining once the contract expires.
The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan product recorded 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 54 games in 2024-25. Two knee injuries held Zary out of 28 games including the stretch drive, but it’s worth noting that Ryan Huska was progressively increasing his ice time prior to his second on-ice mishap.
Zary’s strong possession game and dynamic passing ability indicates that the 24th overall selection at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft will see a respectable increase in production from the 0.52 points per game he’s put up over 117 contests—and while the six-foot all-positions forward has faced some bad luck on some questionable plays—he has a bit of an edge to his game himself.
Zary received a two-game suspension for his elbow on Vancouver defenceman Elias Pettersson. An act that was in response to Pettersson laying a big, open ice hit on center Flames center Nazem Kadri.
The Next Step
Can Zary start marching towards a point-per-game level of production? Time will tell, but a departure from his most frequent line may be the first step. It’s unlikely that Connor reaches that milestone on the left side of Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. The three played 127 of even strength ice time together last season.
Perhaps a long-term reunion on a line with Nazem Kadri and Maartin Pospisil is what the doctor ordered. That trio played a total of 98:36 of 5v5 last season but couldn’t seem to find that spark that saw the three pull Calgary out of the basement in Novemeber 2023.
What do you think? Where would you like to see Zary deployed this year? Are you happy with the deal?
Home › Forums › Calgary Flames, Connor Zary Come to Terms on Three-Year Deal