Connor Zary Has a Big Chance Waiting for Him in Calgary

Connor Zary being cleared for training camp is one of those updates that sounds pretty routine until you think about what it could mean for the Calgary Flames. Zary missed Calgary’s season finale with an undisclosed injury, which left at least a little question hanging over the summer. Now that he has been cleared, that concern is out of the way. More importantly, Zary should get a full chance to go into camp and make a case for a bigger role.

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Can Zary Carve Out a Larger Role with the Flames?

And here’s the really interesting part of this story. Zary’s 2025-26 season wasn’t a disaster. It just wasn’t the step forward many people hoped to see. He finished with 12 goals and 25 points in 74 games, along with 110 shots and 45 hits. He was involved and competed. But he wasn’t consistently dangerous enough to become the offensive player Calgary would really like him to be.

At 24, Zary is getting to the point where potential has to start showing up on the scoresheet. There is clearly some skill there. The Flames wouldn’t be interested in him if they didn’t believe there was more to his game. But nobody is going to hand him a top-six job simply because he might be capable of handling it. He’ll have to go into camp and take it. And maybe that’s exactly what he needs.

Calgary needs more offence. It needs players who can create something when a game gets tight. Can Zary become the player who makes the kind of play that tips the game in the Flames’ direction? He remains one of the interesting possibilities among the Flames’ wingers. He has size, skill and a willingness to compete.

What Zary Needs Now Is More Consistency

He needs to create more chances, get himself into dangerous areas more often and give the coaching staff a reason to keep putting him higher in the lineup. Those things sound simple enough, but they often separate a young player who looks promising from one who actually becomes an important NHL player.

The good news is that Zary should arrive at camp healthy. That’s a pretty nice place to start. He doesn’t have to spend the first part of camp trying to catch up or wondering whether the injury will hold him back. He can concentrate on hockey and, more importantly, on showing Calgary that there is more to his game than what we saw last season.

That doesn’t guarantee a breakout. But there is enough upside here that the Flames should want to find out what happens when Zary gets a little more responsibility.

Calgary isn’t just looking for another winger to fill a spot. The Flames need somebody who can help make their forward group more dangerous. Zary has a chance to be that guy. The question is, can he make that push?

Now he has to show it.

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