Connor Zary left the Calgary Flames’ game against the host Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night with a scary-looking leg injury.
Early in the second period, the second-year NHL forward was cutting towards the centre of the ice when he was on the receiving end of a knee-on-knee hit by Anaheim Ducks defenceman Drew Helleson.
It was immediately clear that Zary was in considerable pain.
Helleson was issued a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit, while Zary remained on the Honda Center ice holding his left knee until he was helped off the ice by the Flames’ medical staff and taken to the team’s locker-room.
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The 23-year-old Zary has been one of the Flames’ top performers this season, scoring 10 goals and adding 12 assists while making the move from the wing to centre.
While he got off to a slow start production-wise, the Flames’ coaching staff never wavered in their belief and he continued to produce opportunities before heating up in December and has been evolving into a player who can provide a lot more than offence.
“It’s now just continuing to build on the rest of his game and that’s going to make him a guy who is on the ice when we’re protecting a one-goal lead late in the game,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said earlier this week. “That’s ultimately what you want for a player like Connor, is to be a guy who is used in every key situation.”