The Flames want to sell (almost) everything: Connor Zary is linked to the Canadiens

Félix Forget
The Flames want to sell (almost) everything: Connor Zary is linked to the Canadiens
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

The Calgary Flames haven't had an easy season. The team finished the campaign with a record of 34-39-9… and it was hard to recognize the team that came so close to making the playoffs in 2025.

Remember, the Flames haven't been in the playoffs since 2022… back when Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk were the faces of the franchise.

And the feeling is that, once again this summer, the Flames want to clean house. They're looking to get younger and build around young core players… and clearly, there are quite a few players available.

According to Anthony Di Marco, who discussed all this in an article for Daily Faceoff, only Dustin Wolf, Zayne Parekh, Matt Coronato, and Matvei Gridin are untouchable in Calgary. And the reporter, looking at players who might leave, had this to say about Connor Zary:

If [Zary] is traded, the Canadiens look like a team that would explore that option. – Anthony Di Marco

Zary is a forward who turns 25 in September, earns $3.775 million per year through the summer of 2028, and just recorded 12 goals and 25 points in 74 games last season. He's never recorded more than 34 points in a season… but he's unhappy in Calgary, and a change of scenery could do him good.

He's talented and capable of playing center (even though he's mostly played wing since joining the NHL, which is a source of frustration for him), which could make him an intriguing prospect on the trade market.

The reporter notes that the Habs have taken similar gambles in recent years with Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and Zachary Bolduc. That said, we know the Canadiens are now at a different stage of their rebuild… and one might wonder if the club really wants another project of that sort.

The time for development is over; it's time for results. Except that it's clear in the current playoffs that the three gambles mentioned by Di Marco deserve credit for the Habs' success… and that another player in that mold wouldn't hurt.


In a nutshell

– That's true.

– What will the Maple Leafs do this summer?

– Note.

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