Will Connor Zary become Sam Bennett 2.0?

Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary was, at one point, a solid prospect who showed true promise. Over his first couple of seasons, he made good progress but ran into some injury issues. Now, in his third season with the Flames, he has fallen off a bit.

Zary himself is not the one everyone should blame. He has received some bad luck with injuries and has hilariously been placed on the fourth line by Ryan Huska. At this point, we must ask the question. Will Zary become the next Sam Bennett? Bennett was another player who did not receive the proper chance in Calgary and subsequently went on to win two Stanley Cups in Florida. Both of these players have a lot in common during the early stages of their careers.

Zary and Bennett similarities

Both Zary and Bennett were expected to become strong NHL players. They were both drafted in the first round with the hopes of making a significant impact on the Flames organization. Bennett was expected to be better as he was drafted fourth overall, but Zary still had some good expectations as a twenty-fourth overall pick. Both players played their way up from the CHL towards the NHL, but Zary needed a couple of years in the AHL. Bennett, meanwhile, went straight from Junior to the NHL.

Once both players had solid footing in an NHL role, they put up respectable stats. In his first season, Bennett posted thirty-six points in seventy-seven games. On the other hand, Zary posted thirty-four in sixty-three games. Both players had a middle-six role that suited them well in their early seasons, but both hit slumps in the following years. After his rookie season, Bennett had back-to-back twenty-six-point seasons, which were huge disappointments. Zary posted twenty-seven points last year and only has eighteen so far this season. To this point, both Bennett and Zary have had nearly identical starts to their careers.

A key issue for both of these players is the limited ice time they receive. Bennett was buried in the lineup pretty much his entire time with the Flames. Originally, Zary was getting great top-six ice time, but has been pushed down to the fourth line under Ryan Huska. The twenty-four-year-old forward finally earned a promotion to the top line against Chicago and has recorded six points in his last seven games. One can hope that Zary keeps getting rewarded because getting fourth-line ice time will destroy his development.

Giving up too soon

After many disappointing seasons with the Flames, Bennett’s name began to show up in many trade rumours. Finally, in April of 2021, Bennett was dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Emil Heineman and a second-round pick. This was a prime example of the Flames ruining a player’s opportunity and giving up on him too soon. Bennett was only twenty-four at the time of that trade (Zary’s age). He then went on to finish the 2020–2021 season with the Panthers and posted fifteen points in ten games.

This is the same kind of situation that the Flames could have with Zary. If he is not given the chance to have a breakout season during his current three-year contract, he may want out. With his overall performance being a bit disappointing, Zary does not carry a ton of trade value right now. So, a potential trade in the future would be underwhelming just like the Bennett trade.

Going forward, Zary must get the ice time he deserves. It is not like this team is anywhere close to being a Stanley Cup contender, so why not let him play?