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Connor Zary

West Notes: Zary, Barbashev, Howden, Gregor

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Second-year Flames forward Connor Zary is facing a suspension after he elbowed Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson in last night’s shootout loss, per the league’s Department of Player Safety. Officials assessed Zary a minor penalty for interference on the play, which occurred midway through the first period. The Calgary forward laid a retaliatory check on Pettersson after the rearguard laid a heavy hit on Flames center Nazem Kadri, leaving the ice and seemingly making Pettersson’s head the main point of contact (video via B/R Open Ice). Pettersson only took two more shifts before leaving the game entirely in the second period. This will be the first supplemental discipline, including fines, of Zary’s brief NHL career. The 2020 first-rounder is tied for sixth on the team in scoring this season with 12-12–24 in 49 games. He missed most of January and February with a knee injury, which kept him out of 15 games.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • The Golden Knights are getting reinforcements up front. Forwards Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden will re-enter the lineup tonight against the Blue Jackets, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters (including Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers). Barbashev missed Tuesday’s game against the Penguins due to personal reasons, while Howden sat out with an undisclosed injury. Neither’s absence will stretch into a multi-game one. Both players are among the team’s top 10 scorers, with Barbashev posting 19-22–41 in 53 games and Howden logging 17-13–30 in 62 appearances. Jonas Røndbjerg and Cole Schwindt will exit the lineup as a result of their returns.
  • Noah Gregor will kick off his second stint with the Sharks tonight after resolving his work visa issues, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Gregor, acquired from the Senators in the deadline day Fabian Zetterlund deal, was unavailable for San Jose’s last two games while getting his documentation sorted. The 26-year-old played parts of four seasons for the Sharks from 2019-20 to 2022-23, compiling 26-25–51 in 178 appearances for the club. He’d struggled in Ottawa this year after signing in the Canadian capital as a free agent last summer, posting 4-2–6 in 40 games with a -12 rating.

Flames Expected To Activate Connor Zary, Kevin Bahl

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The Calgary Flames are expected to activate forward Connor Zary and defenseman Kevin Bahl off of injured reserve ahead of Sunday night’s game, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. Zary has sat out of Calgary’s last 15 games with a knee injury, while Bahl missed the last eight games. Both players have served impactful roles this season, making their returns a notable addition to a Flames lineup just three points back from a Western Conference Wild Card.

Of the pair, Bahl has been the more utilized Flame so far this year. The 24-year-old defender joined Calgary in the trade that sent Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey this summer, and quickly claimed a top-four role in his new setting. He’s posted a tame stat line, with 14 points, a plus-one, 29 penalty minutes, 67 hits, and 79 blocked shots through 47 games this season – while spending much of it lined up next to top Flames defender Rasmus Andersson. That premier partnership has helped Bahl’s average ice time jump north of 21 minutes, nearly four minutes more than he averaged in New Jersey last season. While he still has improvement to go, this season has been Bahl’s first making a top-of-the-lineup claim, after last season marked his first full season in the NHL. He should quickly return to that top-pair role when he’s able to return, likely bumping Ilya Solovyov out of the lineup.

Zary’s bid back into the lineup will be a bit tougher to anticipate. The Flames added Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost and parted ways with Andrei Kuzmenko via trade during Zary’s absence. That’s sparked a lineup shakeup that Zary will now have to find his footing within. Farabee and Frost have filled a third-line role alongside Yegor Sharangovich, which should leave a top-six role next to Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman open for Zary. But the young forward will need to earn his footing. He has 10 goals and 22 points in 40 games this season, a slight uptick to the 14 goals and 34 points he scored as a rookie last year. If Zary can continue to grow that scoring upside, and his knack for making big plays – his return could be the piece that solidifies Calgary’s top-nine as a group to envy. But tepid offense could be the piece that necessitates further changes.

The pair of returns will give Calgary their first chance to see their roster at full-strength after their trade with Philadelphia. Zary and Bahl are two young, impactful pieces of the Flames lineup – and stood as two of the biggest bright spots on the year before they fell to injury. How the lineup performs amid their return will be closely scrutinized, as Calgary hones in on a potentially lucrative Trade Deadline.

Flames’ Connor Zary Out Indefinitely With Knee Injury

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4:47 p.m.: Zary does not require surgery but will be out indefinitely while he rehabilitates his knee injury, the Flames announced Friday afternoon.

2:43 p.m.: The Flames placed center Connor Zary on injured reserve Friday after he sustained a left knee injury Tuesday on a hit from Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson, per the league’s media portal. Initial imaging yesterday revealed no ACL or MCL damage, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports, but they’re still working out a concrete timeline for his return.

Taking Zary’s spot on the active roster will be 22-year-old Rory Kerins, who the team announced has been recalled from AHL Calgary. Kerins, a 2020 sixth-round pick, currently leads the AHL in goals with 21 in 34 games.

The IR placement means Zary will miss Calgary’s next three games at the very least. Now in his second NHL season, the 2020 24th overall pick had 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points through 40 games.

Zary finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting last year after finishing 10th on the Flames in scoring with 34 points in 63 contests and ranking fifth with a +12 rating. He had started the season in the minors, but after posting a goal and nine assists through only six AHL games, he earned a call-up and never looked back.

The Saskatchewan native has bounced around a few lines this season and has been shifted to the wing, struggling in the faceoff dot with a 36% win rate. He’s shooting at 12% and is averaging 16:18 per game, seventh among Flames forwards.

Zary has posted some of the best possession numbers on the Flames, controlling 53.6% of shot attempts at even strength – a relative share of 2.4%. He’s due for a new contract as a pending restricted free agent with a qualifying offer of $874,125. He will not be eligible for arbitration if he reaches free agency this summer.

In the meantime, Kerins will get his first NHL chance, although he’s not expected to make his NHL debut on Saturday against the Kings. In addition to leading their AHL club in scoring with 34 points in 34 games, his +13 rating leads Wranglers forwards.

The Flames have a full active roster with $34.79MM in current cap space after the moves. Kerins, also a pending RFA, is waiver-exempt this season.

Pacific Notes: Kane, Stonehouse, Zary, Kovalenko

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Originally anticipated to be returning to the lineup in 2025, that hasn’t been the case for Oilers winger Evander Kane as he is not particularly close to a return.  Speaking with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, GM Stan Bowman indicated that while Kane has been doing his rehab, he doesn’t have any new information about his potential return.  However, Bowman added that more clarity should be coming soon on that front.  Edmonton has been operating under the cap this season instead of using LTIR in an effort to give themselves a bit of cap flexibility for when Kane returns.  However, if Kane isn’t able to return during the regular season, the Oilers could then dip into LTIR, allowing them to go over the cap by up to $5.125MM which would open up more avenues heading to the trade deadline.

More from the Pacific:

  • Still with the Oilers, prospect Brady Stonehouse is on the move in the OHL as Peterborough announced that they’ve acquired the winger from Ottawa. Edmonton signed the 20-year-old as an undrafted free agent back in 2023 and he is burning the first year of his entry-level deal at the junior level.  In 18 games with the 67’s prior to the swap, Stonehouse had five goals and five assists.
  • The Flames are expected to have more information on how long they’ll be without forward Connor Zary on Friday, relays Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link). The 23-year-old suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury against Anaheim on Tuesday and the belief is that he may be facing an extended absence.  After spending some time in the minors last season, Zary has been a full-timer with Calgary this season and had a solid first half before the injury, picking up 10 goals and 22 assists in his first 40 games.
  • Sharks winger Nikolai Kovalenko will not play tomorrow against Utah due to an upper-body injury, notes Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The injury was sustained on Tuesday versus Vegas.  Kovalenko has fared relatively well since being acquired last month from Colorado, notching a goal and five assists in a dozen games with San Jose after tallying just eight points in 28 games with the Avs.  He’s listed as out day-to-day.

Flames’ Young Stars Fueling Unexpected Success

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The Calgary Flames held a fire sale between last season and the summer, moving out multiple top-of-the-lineup pieces – including top forward Elias Lindholm, top defenders Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, and starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Calgary moved out more than $24MM in cap space between all of their trades, and yet – as the 2024-25 season prepares to enter December – the Flames sit comfortably in a playoff spot. They’re 12-8-4 so far, ranked third in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference. Even better, Calgary boasts the third-most cap space in the league – with a projected $25.9MM in current available funds. The hot start and open budget put Calgary in the best spot they’ve been in years, and it’s a direct result of novice general manager Craig Conroy’s timely reliance on the prospect pool.

Conroy emphasized on Sportsnet’s Flames Talk podcast this summer that the goal of the Flames’ season would be to create opportunity for their in-house prospects. 24 games into the season and it seems every single prospect to receive a chance has seized it in full.

Dustin Wolf is quickly establishing himself as a franchise goaltender, posting eight wins and a .918 save percentage through 13 games in what is his formal rookie season. That kind of performance will command respect in the race for the Calder Trophy, even against Matvei Michkov and Logan Stankoven rivaling point-per-game scoring. Wolf is thriving in what is the first hardy starting experience of his career, continuing to dominate North American pros after taking home the AHL’s Les Cunningham ’MVP’ award in 2023, and the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award for goalie-of-the-year in both 2022 and 2023. He spent just a bit too much time with the NHL roster last season to rival either award, but recorded a cumulative 97 wins and .926 save percentage through 141 games and four seasons in the AHL. That ability is now directly benefiting the Flames. Wolf has posted a save percentage above .900 in 61.5 percent of his starts this year, just 0.4 percent behind Markstrom’s tally in 2021-22 – when he finished the year second in Vezina Trophy voting.

Wolf’s dazzling defense of Calgary’s garrison has given youngsters Connor Zary and Matthew Coronato plenty of space to lead the offensive charge. Zary has become Calgary’s third-most utilized forward at even-strength, with 349 minutes of five-versus-five ice time in 24 games – 13 minutes fewer than Nazem Kadri, two fewer than Mikael Backlund, and 12 more than Jonathan Huberdeau. Zary’s had no trouble keeping up with the studded veterans he’s keeping company with, scoring six points at even strength and 12 points on the year as a whole – tying Huberdeau and one behind Kadri. He’s become a core piece of Calgary’s top-six – a role flirted with when he recorded 14 goals and 34 points in 63 games as a rookie last season. The bulk of his scoring, between this year and last, has come thanks to a nonstop motor and ability to play at top speeds. But while Zary’s outskates his opponents on the top-line, Coronato has taken to outworking them in the middle-six. He’s also jumped up the Flames’ scoring chart, with six goals and 10 points in 19 games this season. That’s one fewer goal than each of Kadri and Huberdeau, and puts Coronato on pace for 26 goals across 82 games – which would mark the highest scoring from a U22 Flame since Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan each surpassed the 25-goal mark three separate times before their 22nd birthday.

The surge of production from Zary and Coronato in the top-nine has helped Calgary’s lineup truly settle into place. Utility winger Blake Coleman has been able to resign to a top-notch supporting role, rather than needing to drive play on his own; while Coronato’s role of gritty scorer opens more space for Martin Pospisil to embrace his bruiser tendencies. It’s created a lineup that’s cohesive, multifaceted, and capable of taking on the NHL’s best lineups – made evident by Calgary’s recent three-game stretch of wins over the New York Islanders, Rangers, and Minnesota Wild.

A year intended for retooling has instead become a year of success for the Flames. They’re on an upward trajectory, fueled almost entirely by the team’s timely leaning into their prospect pool. Wolf’s performance as a formal rookie will have Calgary as a top mention in the Calder Trophy race, while Zary and Coronato’s mix of scoring could push the team into the postseason for the first time since 2022. Even without either accolade, the performance of Calgary’s top youngsters this season sets up plenty of reasons to be excited about their long-term outlook.

Flames Notes: Offseason, Zary, Goaltending

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Flames GM Craig Conroy has been quite busy this year, moving away several notable veteran pending free agents to kick-start a rebuild or a retool of some sort.  However, they will have ample cap space to work with as a result of losing a lot of those players.  Speaking with Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Conroy indicated that he wouldn’t mind adding a veteran player or two but reiterated that the priority remains to have their younger players play.  He added that the ideal term of a contract for those veterans would be two or three years.  That will almost certainly have Calgary out of the mix for the top names on the open market but there should be plenty of players who could fit the bill for them in the early days of free agency in July.

More from Calgary:

  • Speaking of one of their younger players, winger Connor Zary has been activated off injured reserve, relays FlamesNation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). The 22-year-old started off the season with ten points in six games in the minors and has been up with Calgary since then.  Zary has done well in his first taste of NHL action, notching 12 goals and 17 helpers through 50 games so far while averaging 15:20 per game.  That playing time could go up down the stretch once the Flames – who are ten points out of the last Wild Card spot – are officially eliminated from postseason contention.
  • With Dustin Wolf now up for the rest of the season due to Dan Vladar’s season-ending hip surgery, Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson suggests that the youngster should see some regular action down the stretch backing up Jacob Markstrom who was recently activated off IR. Wolf has put up a .897 SV% in ten games so far this season after another dominant showing in the minors where he sits fourth in the minors in save percentage at .923 in 35 appearances.  With plenty of speculation about Markstrom’s future, it stands to reason that Calgary would like to get Wolf some regular action over the final month to evaluate if he’s ready to take over as the starter or if they’d want to get a netminder back if they do move Markstrom in the offseason.

Pacific Notes: Soucy, Pospisil, Zary, Stalock

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Harman Dayal of The Athletic is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy will return to the lineup tonight as the team takes on the Los Angeles Kings. Soucy has been out of the lineup for a month and a half with a broken hand suffered on January 20th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It is the second time this season that Soucy has broken a bone with the first being a broken leg that kept him out of the lineup for two months. On the year, injuries have limited Soucy to just 21 games with Vancouver, scoring two goals and six points overall.

Signed to a three-year, $9.75MM contract with the Canucks this past summer, Soucy still has plenty of time to recover and become an important factor of Vancouver’s defensive core. With Soucy now back in the mix, the Canucks should be able to field one of the league’s deepest defensive units come playoff time, as long as Tyler Myers can return in due time from his undisclosed injury.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil is set to have a hearing for boarding Seattle Kraken’s Vince Dunn yesterday evening, according to the Department of Player Safety. During the play in question, Dunn received the puck below the goal line in Seattle’s defensive zone, with his back completely turned to the rest of the ice. Pospisil delivered a body check to Dunn while he was in a vulnerable spot, and was issued a five-minute major penalty on the play.
  • Sticking in Calgary, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation is reporting that the Flames have placed forward Connor Zary on the team’s injured reserve, retroactively to the team’s game on Saturday. This allowed Calgary to open up a roster this afternoon to claim defenseman Joel Hanley off of waivers from the Dallas Stars.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned goaltender Alex Stalock to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, per a team announcement. Even with this transaction marking the fourth time that Stalock has been brought up to the NHL level this year, he has yet to suit up in a game for Anaheim. At the AHL level, Stalock has appeared in 11 contests for the Gulls, earning a 1-9-1 record with a .892 SV%.

Flames Recall Matthew Coronato

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The Flames have recalled one of their top forward prospects, summoning winger Matthew Coronato to the NHL for the third time this season. With a roster spot previously open, no corresponding transactions are needed.

Coronato is expected to replace another rookie forward, Connor Zary, in the lineup against the Kraken tonight. The 22-year-old is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained in Saturday’s comeback win over the Penguins, per the team.

Coronato, 21, was Calgary’s first-round pick in 2021. Since being selected 13th overall that year, the speedy winger has exceeded his expected benchmarks, eclipsing the point-per-game mark in his two seasons playing collegiate hockey at Harvard.

In his first full season of professional hockey, Coronato has dominated at the minor-league level with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. His 27 assists and 42 points in 40 games lead the team and are second in rookie scoring league-wide behind Stars prospect Logan Stankoven.

He’s yet to blow the doors off in the majors, scoring a goal and two assists in 15 appearances with the Flames across his various recalls this year. He’s been given a bit of runway, too, averaging 14:11 per game under first-year head coach Ryan Huska, showing that a bit of AHL time to adjust to the pro game is the right call.

Losing Zary, Calgary’s first-round pick a year before Coronato, is not a tiny bit of news for a Flames team trying to crawl their way into a playoff spot. His 29 points through 50 games after an early-season callup from the Wranglers have him positioned to earn a fair amount of Calder Trophy votes, and he’s slid relatively seamlessly into shouldering top-nine minutes. Calgary is 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, but they remain seven points behind the eighth-place Predators with two games in hand for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Calgary Flames

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As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Calgary Flames.

Who are the Flames Thankful For?

Mikael Backlund

After being the de facto captain for the last few years, Backlund was officially awarded the letter prior to this season, and he’s taken it on in stride. Calgary is by no means off to the start that they would have hoped for but Backlund has remained poised and in control of his team. That includes when he had to handle the curt trade request that Nikita Zadorov issued following the conclusion of an 0-1 shootout loss. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis spoke to the captain about that incident, sharing that Backlund spoke one-on-one with Zadorov before the defenseman spoke to the whole team, in an effort to make sure that no unnecessary tensions were created. New general manager Craig Conroy was impressed by the situation, telling Francis, “He’s taking charge and that’s what the captain has to do. You’d like to not have to do that, but there are things that come up that need to be addressed, and he hasn’t been shy to do that.” That kind of leadership is exactly what a struggling contender like the Flames needs – and it’s a pleasant boost after the team went two seasons without a captain.

What are the Flames Thankful For?

Their youngsters

In a year of challenges, the Flames can at least be impressed with the performances their prospects have brought to the top stage. Connor Zary looks tremendous in his first NHL season, currently carrying eight points through his first nine NHL games. He’s managed this performance after starting the year with 10 points in six AHL games, clearly proving that he deserved a spot with the top club. Zary is averaging the fourth-most minutes of any Flames forward and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Much of the same can be said about Martin Pospisil, who scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game and has since gone on to net six points in nine games on the year. Pospisil is the second-youngest player on the starting lineup, at 24, and earned an NHL recall after scoring six points in six AHL games.

Former first-round pick Matthew Coronato has also held onto a strong season, despite losing his NHL role after 10 games. He’s managed 11 points in 10 AHL games, good for third in scoring on the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

What Would the Flames be Even More Thankful For?

Top-End Scoring

There are a lot of little things that could improve the Flames early season. But with Jacob Markstrom taking a serviceable step forward – albeit an improvement from a .892 save percentage to a .904 – it seems only right to say the Flames are more in need of an X-factor skater than anything. Jonathan Huberdeau has continued to struggle with Calgary, after scoring 115 points in his last year with the Florida Panthers, and with no Matthew Tkachuk or Johnny Gaudreau, the Flames are left wondering who their big difference-maker can be. The team is currently led in scoring by Elias Lindholm, who has 13 points in 19 games. He’s paced by Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, who both have 12 points in as many outings. That’s certainly serviceable scoring but it’s not enough to takeover games, and has the Flames sat with the sixth-fewest goals in the league.

But it’s not all bad. Despite the low scoring, the Flames still roster three players that have scored 80-or-more points in a season before, and they have averaged 3.4 goals-per-game over their last five games, after averaging 2.6 through their first 14 games. That’s a healthy boost and has earned the Flames three wins, one loss, and one shootout loss in the five game stretch. Noah Hanifin has spearheaded the effort, scoring four points in his last five games. If they can maintain this offense, Calgary could find a way to make up for their lack of a true top-end scorer.

What Should Be On the Flames Holiday List?

A Lavish Trade Partner

The Flames are reportedly shopping around a slew of players, including top defender Hanifin, shutdown defenseman Chris Tanev, and even top-scorer Lindholm at points. They’ve also received a trade request from Zadorov. Each of these players could warrant a hefty trade return, in a vaccuum. But the cheapest cap hit of the trio is Zadorov’s $3.75MM and Tanev’s $4.5MM, which is still a hefty amount for many teams to take on.

Still, there is no shortage of teams that could benefit from a deal with Calgary. Vancouver’s right-defense is still a weakness, and upgrading it could be a big boost to their thriving offense. The Toronto Maple Leafs recently placed John Klingberg on long-term injured reserve and are reportedly interested in Zadorov. And with Calgary boasting Dustin Wolf as their third-string goalie, making backup Daniel Vladar theoretically expendable, they may even garner trade interest from a team like the Edmonton Oilers, who are in need of any kind of help after their 6-12-1 start to the year.

It seems to be a buyer’s market and the Flames have no shortage of pieces that they could move. If they can’t get a spark on the ice, a flashy trade return could help a team with thriving stars hedge their future bets.

Injury Updates: Zary, Martinez, Avalanche

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Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, according to a team announcement. He did not dress for the Flames’ loss to the Nashville Predators, though the day-to-day nature of the absence does leave a chance for him to return in time for the Flames’ contest tomorrow in Dallas.

The loss of Zary, 22, is a significant one for the Flames, as he’s quickly emerged as one of the team’s more gifted offensive players. In just nine games so far this season Zary has eight points, displaying a knack for finding his way onto the scoresheet. A 2020 first-round pick, Zary’s initial transition from WHL stardom to pro hockey was rocky, but after his 25-point AHL rookie season Zary scored 21 goals and 58 points there. He scored 10 points in just six AHL games so far this season, a performance that earned him his call-up to Calgary.

Some other injury updates from the Western Conference:

  • Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez missed yesterday’s overtime victory over the Dallas Stars due to a lower-body injury. Martinez’ vacated spot in the lineup next to Alex Pietrangelo was filled by Nicolas Hague, while Ben Hutton re-entered the lineup to fill Hague’s old role on the team’s bottom pairing next to Zach Whitecloud. Martinez is among Vegas’ most important defensemen, averaging nearly 20 minutes per night and over two minutes per night on the penalty kill.
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told the media, including NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding, that forward Logan O’Connor has a lower-body injury and is out day-to-day. Additionally, forward Valeri Nichushkin left last night’s game to get stitches for his mouth but did end up returning to the contest. At the moment, O’Connor plays third-line minutes for the Avalanche on a line with Ross Colton and Miles Wood. Should he miss any time, physical spare forward Kurtis MacDermid could draw into the lineup, or they could place a player on injured reserve and recall a forward such as Ben Meyers. O’Connor, 27, has scored three goals and seven points in 17 games so far this season.

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