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The Calgary Flames waited well into the offseason to re-sign Connor Zary.
Connor Zary and the Calgary Flames nearly made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. Rookie goalie Dustin Wolf had a monster season that brought Calgary to the brink of the postseason. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The St. Louis Blues got in over the Flames by virtue of a tiebreaker.
The Flames went into this offseason with confidence in their group. They didn’t make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season. But they came as close as one possibly could without qualifying for a spot. This team was good enough. Now, they needed to add around the edges.
Overall, the team didn’t make much noise this summer. Ivan Provestov came over from the Kontinental Hockey League to give Wolf insurance in goal. He replaces the outgoing Dan Vladar, who signed on with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Outside of that, the team didn’t much. At least, that was until Friday. The Flames finally signed restricted free agent Connor Zary before training camp. He inked a three-year contract worth a cap hit of $3.775 million per season.
The 23-year-old waited a while, but he finally put pen to paper. In his first statement since signing the deal, he expressed his relief in having this over and done with.
“It was a long one, but to get it finally done is a huge weight off the shoulders,” Zary told the Flames website. “It feels unbelievable. Honestly, I can’t wait to get to Calgary and get things going here. It feels good to have it in pen now, and just get things going.”
Flames See Bright Future For Connor Zary
Elsa/Getty ImagesThe Calgary Flames believe Connor Zary has the potential to be a star in the NHL.
Zary and the Flames will need to do this all again in a few years’ time. The 23-year-old will be a restricted free agent once again at the end of this contract. By then, though, Calgary anticipates Zary being one of their leading stars.
“He’s going to be a big part of this team moving forward, so we’re very excited to have it done. For the team’s side, it’s big, but also for Connor’s side. He wants to come in here, grab a spot higher in the lineup, the highest he can. We need him to take another step,” general manager Craig Conroy said, via NHL.com.
Zary has done well for Calgary over the last few seasons. Though he has struggled a bit with injury, he is productive when he’s on the ice. The Flames star has scored 27 goals and 61 points in 117 career games to this point. He has the ability, he just needs to take the proverbial next step.
Zary Motivated By Heartbreaking Playoff Miss
Zary taking the next step could ensure the Flames make the postseason this time around. It would be Calgary’s first postseason appearance since the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Based on last season, the 23-year-old Flames star believes the current group has the tools needed to punch their ticket.
“We know how close we were last year, and I think with that same group of guys, and that camaraderie we have in the locker-room is huge. We all know what it takes, and we all know what we need to do as a group to take the next step. I think that’s really exciting for us,” he told the official Calgary team website.
Zary and his teammates have lofty goals this upcoming season. It will certainly be interesting to see if they can achieve them. The Flames begin their 2025-26 campaign on October 8th against their bitter Albertian rivals, the Edmonton Oilers.
Tristin McKinstry Tristin has over 10 years experience writing at various blogs. He has spent the last three years gaining professional experience in the sports media world. He currently works with ClutchPoints and Pro Football & Sports Network alongside Heavy Sports. More about Tristin McKinstry
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