Connor Zary continues to shine for the Calgary Flames. After earning a call-up earlier in the season, the former Kamloops Blazer became the second-fastest Flame to hit the 10-point mark when he set up A.J. Greer on the Flames’ tying goal in his 12th NHL game.
Zary reached double-digit point totals just one game behind forever a Flame Sean Monahan, who did it in his first 11 games in the NHL in 2013–14. Monahan would go on to put up 34 points in 75 games in the midst of the Flames’ rebuild.
Zary has been the bright spot for the Flames this season
While the Flames have looked better of late, Zary has been one of the brightest spots this season. He finished first in our recent survey of your favourite Flames player for good reason. He clearly is thriving being in the NHL this season, and shows no sign of being sent back down.
Even more than that, the points that he has put up have been excellent. This goal against Toronto was especially pretty. Take a look:
Perhaps his prettiest point was the assist he made on Mikael Backlund’s goal against the Dallas Stars. Take a look here:
What to expect from Zary going forward
Zary has been good in his first 12 NHL games, although Coach Ryan Huska did bench him in the third period of two of those games, including the game against the Vegas Golden Knights the other night. Whether this was performance-based or a concern because of a nagging injury, it remains to be clear.
So far Zary sits 12th in league scoring among rookies despite playing just 12 games. He also has just one power play point, among the fewest of all rookies this season. That is a combination of the Flames’ power play being downright awful, but also of him not getting a lot of power play time. He is getting nearly all of his points at 5-on-5, which is substantially tougher than on the man advantage.
Further, he is playing less per game than most of his fellow rookies, averaging just over 15 minutes per night. Most of the other top rookie forwards are averaging around 17 minutes or about three extra shifts per game. Despite that, Zary sits at a 0.83 point-per-game pace, just inches below Connor Bedard for second in the league.
Unlike most rookies, particularly rookies that the Flames have brought up, Zary is performing at such a high level that he is actually making his veteran linemates better wherever he’s playing. Nazem Kadri has looked like a new player since being partnered with the Saskatoon-born forward. The team as a whole has felt more sure of themselves since Zary was called up. It has made an enormous difference to have him on the team. If he continues to perform at this level, there is a good chance he will end up in the conversation for the Calder Trophy at the end of the season.
