The Calgary Flames are having a challenging season. They are devoid of established star power, have a horrid power play, and don’t score a lot of goals in general. The headlines have been dominated by the long list of pending unrestricted free agents that are playing in limbo right now, but this truly isn’t the most interesting storyline of the season. It’s the rise of the rookies. In particular, Connor Zary’s ascension at the NHL level.
Connor Zary is the real deal
Connor Zary was called up to the big club from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on October 31 and has played 21 of the team’s 23 games since that date. Despite a very strong season with the Wranglers last year, he was not called up to the Flames, so this year’s call-up marked his very first taste of NHL hockey.
He did not disappoint. Zary has been one of the Flames’ best players since his call-up, has fit in seamlessly in the top-six alongside, reignited the season of the Flames’ now best forward in Nazem Kadri, and is even taking reps on the top power play unit.
Zary is a legit NHL player. He hasn’t looked back since skating on NHL ice, and will be an NHLer for the rest of the season and beyond.
What makes this story fascinating is that Zary hasn’t just played well enough to stick in the NHL, he’s played well enough to put himself squarely among top draft picks and elite talent for Calder Trophy consideration as the league’s best rookie.
In a year that features Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, Luke Hughes, Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies, and many others; Zary is making a strong case to be a Calder Trophy finalist.
Connor Zary relative to other rookies this season
Because he was not in the NHL for the Flames’ first 10 games of the season, raw totals don’t really tell the full story of how well Zary’s season is going. Regardless, he’s among the league leaders in almost every stat by raw totals. This includes all rookies who have played 20 games or more this season.
| Full season | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | EVG | EVP | EVG/GP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Value | 21 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 0.73 | 7 | 14 | 0.64 | |
| League Rank | 21 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
Despite playing a full 10 games fewer than some of those in his rookie class, Zary has the fifth most goals, eighth most goals, and fifth most points among rookies this season.
Ahead of him in points are Bedard (30 GP), Marco Rossi (29 GP), Pavel Mintyukov (31 GP), and Fantilli (32 GP). All are in the Calder conversation as well, but Zary is right there with them on the leaderboard despite starting a full month later.
In terms of even strength points, Zary has the third most even strength goals trailing only Bedard and Rossi, and the fifth most even strength points trailing only those two plus Dmitri Voronkov and Fantilli.
For points per game, though, Zary leads the entire rookie class in even strength points per game. Yes, even ahead of Bedard. For all points, Zary is second overall.
Connor Zary relative to other rookies since the call-up (Nov. 1 onward)
Since the call-up, Zary ranks even higher on the board.
| Since Zary call-up | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | EVG | EVP | EVP/GP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Value | 22 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 0.73 | 7 | 14 | 0.64 | |
| League Rank | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Consistently in the top two, Zary has legitimately been a top rookie since he was called up to the NHL. He actually has the same number of even strength points as Bedard since the call-up. He also has the second-most goals and points overall, and the second-most even strength goals over this period.
What makes this run even more impressive is that the Flames rank 16th in the NHL in terms of total goals scored with just 93. Since Zary was called up, they rank fourth in the NHL with 77 goals, behind only the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Dallas Stars. At 5v5, the Flames are second since the call-up in goals scored with 54, trailing only the Colorado Avalanche.
Is it not a coincidence that Zary’s call-up lines up with a boost in scoring for the team.
Zary has been on the ice for 30% of the Flames’ goals since he was called up, and has factored in on the score sheet in 20% of them. At 5v5, Zary has been on the ice for 33% of the Flames’ goals, and has points on 24% of them.
He has been a major factor on the team’s offence, no question about it.
Zary is leading the race for second place
Barring an injury, this year’s Calder Trophy is Bedard’s to lose. Everyone else in the pool is playing for second place, and even being named a finalist next to a talent like Bedard is a massive accomplishment.
So far, Zary has been more than advertised and is pushing hard to be a finalist. It’s a crowded field with one of the best rookie classes we’ve seen in a while, but Zary is right there alongside top-three picks and elite talent, a very positive sign for a Flames team in need of as many positives as they can get this season.
Get your LEGENDZARY merch hot off of the press!
Show your support for Connor Zary and check out all the available Legendzary merch!
You must be logged in to post a comment.