The Calgary Flames are in the process of having contract negotiations with their young centre, Connor Zary of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. While it appears things are not going well with defenseman Rasmus Andersson of Malmo, Sweden, the general indication at this time is that Zary will come to a contract eventually with the Flames.
According to Jim Parsons of NHL Trade Talk on Sunday, Zary is reportedly “negotiating a three-year deal, but a gap remains between the team’s offer and player’s destined salary.” Do Flames fans have a reason to be considered? My gut feeling here is no. It appears this is just a negotiating tactic between the Flames management group led by General Manager Craig Conroy and Zary’s agent Michael Kaye of the Sports Corporation.
There also appears to be confidence within the Calgary media and Conroy himself. According to reputable Calgary Herald hockey writer Daniel Austin, who I have known for a long time, he stated on July 31, “it’s more of a matter of when, not if.” Conroy, who is possibly the most honest general manager in the entire NHL, has stated “he’s a huge priority for us and we’re going to get it done, it’s just a matter of when.”
Those are encouraging words from Conroy. Flames fans have every reason to be concerned. That is because many Flames players have not had long term personal interest to stay in Calgary in recent years. That list includes Matthew Tkachuk, the late Johnny Gaudreau, Jacob Markstrom, and now Andersson.
One reason for optimism is the fact that Zary is Canadian and from western Canada. Tkachuk was born in the United States, and so too was Gaudreau.
Zary in 2024-25
In 54 games, Zary has 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. He was a -7 with 14 penalty minutes, nine power-play points, two game-winning goals, 111 shots on goal, 90 faceoff wins, 26 blocked shots, 26 hits, 10 takeaways and 40 giveaways.
Zary’s first game-winning goal this past season came in the Flames’s game on opening night, a 6-5 Flames win over the Vancouver Canucks in overtime on October 9. Zary scored from Andersson and Martin Pospisil at 1:33 of the extra period. Zary’s second game-winning goal this past season came on November 21 in a 3-2 Flames win over the New York Rangers. Zary scored from Jonathan Huberdeau of Saint-Jerome, Quebec, and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar of Ottawa, Ontario at 10:35 of the third period to break a 2-2 deadlock.
Still one must be concerned about Zary’s history with injuries. He had two significant knee injuries last season against the Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars that forced him to miss 28 games.
Update: The Flames signed Zary to a three-year contract extension worth $11.325 million with the Flames on September 5.
