Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard will get most of the attention ahead of Saturday’s matinee contest between the Hawks and Calgary Flames. However, the Flames’ Connor Zary has been hot during the cooler days of December.
Zary has a pair of goals and six points in his last seven games, firing 17 shots on goal in that span. He’s primarily played with Yegor Sharangovich on the left side and Walker Duehr, Andrei Kuzmenko and now his close friend Jakob Pelletier on the right.
The biggest knock on Zary, who was the Calgary Flames’ first-round pick (24th overall) in the 2020 NHL draft, has been consistency. He showed plenty of skill in his rookie season last year, netting 14 goals and 34 points in his first 63 games. Despite the team’s struggles, he was also a plus-12 player as a freshman.
Averaging more than 15 minutes a night, he posted a 15.6 shooting percentage and would have been flirting with a 20-goal campaign over a full 82-game season. As it was, he scored three game-winners. Bedard, by comparison, scored two GWGs as a rookie last season.
Of course, the two players can’t be compared. A first-overall pick labelled a generational talent, Bedard has been his team’s top center as a teenager, playing more than 19 and a half minutes a night and putting up 87 points in his first 101 NHL games. Zary was part of the most under-scouted draft class in modern hockey thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we’re finding out on the fly what he’s capable of.
While Flames GM Craig Conroy continues to work the NHL trade market to find another young center, Zary has transitioned successfully to the position after playing his rookie year on the wing, and starting there again this season. It works because Zary is a dynamic puck-carrier who has elite toe-drags and deceptive speed. He can also quickly change up his shot angles, which has served him well when he uses his agility to rush, create space and scoring opportunities.
The Flames pivot won’t be going head-to-head with Bedard on Saturday afternoon. Captain Mikael Backlund will get that matchup. However, Zary will have an opportunity to be a difference-maker in the Flames finale ahead of an extended holiday break.
Related: Did Flames Get Two Massive Steals In The 2024 Draft?
