General Manager Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames took care of an essential piece of business on Friday afternoon. The Flames confirmed rumors from Thursday, signing forward Connor Zary to a three-year contract. Zary was still a restricted free agent for the Flames heading into training camp. Calgary is low on scoring talent up front, and the former first-round pick is a crucial piece for the future.
Sportsnet writer Eric Francis confirmed the news on social media shortly after Elliotte Friedman reported that a deal was nearing completion. Francis noted that it would be a three-year deal with an average annual value of $3.775 million.
Zary was on the way to a breakout season in 2024-25 before two knee injuries caused him to miss significant time in the second half. He suffered a knee injury in January, which sidelined him for a month. Then, a gruesome collision with Mikko Rantanen in March caused him to miss the remainder of the year. Although the initial belief was that he had a broken leg, Zary's injury wasn't as bad as it looked, and he will be healthy for training camp.
Zary had 27 points in just 54 games, and the belief is that he will play an even bigger role in the 2025-26 season. Heading into training camp, it looks like he will get a chance to play on the first line's right wing with Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau. The forward now has 117 NHL games under his belt, and the team will look to him to be an offensive leader. At an average annual salary of $3.775 million, he could prove to be a steal.
The contract is based on his output, but if he continues on his development path and the salary cap continues to rise, Zary's offensive output should exceed the value of the deal over its course. Unfortunately for the Flames, he would then be in line for a massive pay raise in three years.
