Flames, Connor Zary remain apart in contract talks

The Flames and RFA forward Connor Zary still have a roughly $1MM gap to bridge as they continue talks on a new contract, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports.

While Calgary prefers a three-year deal and Zary is open to that term, the Flames are holding firm in the $3MM-$3.5MM range annually, Di Marco writes. Zary’s ask on a three-year pact is around $4.5MM annually.

Zary does have first-round pedigree (No. 24 overall in 2020) to fall back on, but his ask on a multi-year deal likely checks in above market value. He’ll be 24 in September and only emerged as a full-time NHL option in the 2023-24 campaign and missed nearly 30 games last season due to injury.

When healthy, the 6’0″ forward has comfortably shouldered top-nine minutes, primarily on the wing, and has averaged 19 goals and 43 points per 82 games while seeing 15:39 of action per night. His point per game pace decreased from 0.54 in his rookie season to 0.50 in 2024-25, however. He finished the year with a 13-14–27 line in 54 contests.

That platform year heavily favors Calgary’s ask. AFP Analytics’ projection at the beginning of the summer for a short-term deal was three years at around $3.42MM per season, right in the ballpark of the Flames’ offer. As such, it’s hard to envision general manager Craig Conroy moving the goalposts much further than they’re currently set.

Zary was not eligible for salary arbitration this summer. Since his age upon signing his first NHL contract was 18, he requires four years of experience with at least 10 NHL games played. That means he won’t be eligible for arbitration next offseason if he signs a one-year deal, either. He’d need at least a two-year contract to make him arbitration-eligible upon expiry, and a three-year deal would leave him just one year away from UFA eligibility.