Losing Connor Zary for any length of time is a blow for the Calgary Flames.
But given how painful it looked when he suffered an injury from a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks defenceman Drew Helleson on Tuesday night, Friday afternoon’s announcement that he won’t require surgery is very good news.
It could have been much, much worse.
“Following an evaluation process, it has been determined that Zary will not require surgery but will be missing from the Flames line-up for an indefinite period,” the Flames said in a statement. “Zary will begin his rehabilitation immediately.”
Zary had been cutting towards the net when he was caught knee-on-knee from Helleson, and he immediately grabbed his left-knee and stayed on the ice before receiving help getting to the lockerroom.
The team needed to wait for inflammation to subside before undergoing tests, and the results will ultimately be seen as encouraging.
But for however long he’s out of action, Zary will be missed.
Drafted in the first round, 24th overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft, Zary made his debut with the Flames last season and hasn’t looked back. This season, he’s made the move to centre and is third on the team in scoring, having potted 10 goals and adding 12 assists.
“Connor’s quietly come into his own this year, with his poise and his possession skills that he does have with the puck,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “A lot of times on the ice, he’s a guy who has been generating some of our more dangerous chances, so you’re definitely going to miss that.
“When you lose a player like that, whether it’s a game or 10 games, you’re definitely going to miss them.”
The question now becomes how long Zary will be out-of-action. Surgery would have meant he was out for the year, just like Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland, who both suffered season-ending knee injuries earlier this year.
Fortunately, it doesn’t appear as if that will be the case with Zary.
There’s no firm timeline for his return, but speaking with Sportsnet 960 on Friday afternoon, Flames GM Craig Conroy offered some encouraging words.
“He’s not going to be back in the immediate future,” Conroy said. “But he’s definitely going to be back at some point this year.”
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