The reinforcements have arrived.
When the Calgary Flames returned to the ice on Tuesday afternoon at WinSport after a week and a bit off for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Connor Zary and Kevin Bahl were both out there with their teammates.
It was the first time Zary has participated in a full practice since a knee injury suffered against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 7.
For Bahl, it was his first practice since being hit from behind by Minnesota Wild forward Jakub Lauko and suffering an upper-body injury on Jan. 25.
While Flames head coach Ryan Huska wouldn’t confirm that the two will definitely be in the lineup for Sunday’s return to action against the San Jose Sharks at the Saddledome, it’s clear that they’re getting close.
“It’s big, they’re important pieces of the team,” Huska said. “They’re getting closer. They have to continue to take steps and strides, but this was a really good day for them from what I understand. We’ll talk to our medical guys afterwards and hopefully they can keep developing with us and they’re going to be ready to go.”
The absences of Zary and Bahl were keenly felt by the Flames, albeit for different reasons.
At the time of his injury, Zary was third on the roster in goals (10) and points (22) and had emerged in his second NHL season as an important offensive driver on a squad that often struggles to score.
Bahl, meanwhile, had firmly established himself on the Flames’ top defensive pairing alongside Rasmus Andersson in his first season with the organization since being acquired in the trade that sent goalie Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils last summer.
The Flames have surprised many in the hockey world by hanging around the playoff race — they’ll restart the season three points back of the Vancouver Canucks, who sit in the Western Conference’s second wildcard spot — but are not blessed with a tremendous amount of depth. Losing a top forward and important defenceman hurt, even if they scraped their way to a 7-7-1 record since Zary’s injury.
“They’re important and that’s a big reason why we struggled, I think, that last little stretch,” said Flames forward Blake Coleman. “They’re just tough guys to replace. With Bahler’s size on the back end, that’s not somebody you can just fill his shoes, so we missed him a lot. And obviously Zar provides a lot of offensive spark for us. It’s good to have him back.
“Obviously, playing with me and (Mikael Backlund), so back in a familiar spot. I think it just provides a lot of depth and allows you to spread the wealth in our lineup a little more.”
As Coleman alluded to, the Flames had Zary skating on a line with himself and Backlund on Tuesday, which means he’ll be moved back to his natural position on the wing after spending time at centre prior to his injury.
Bahl will be back with Andersson whenever the Swede gets back to Calgary following his participation in the 4 Nations Face-Off, although it’s a little unclear exactly when that might be.
Both guys spent their break rehabbing and trying to get back to full strength.
“(The break) was kind of a blessing in disguise with how it ended up unfolding, just because I can get back to 100 per cent and jump in with them instead of not getting back to 100 per cent,” Bahl explained.
Will they be available Sunday? That’s the big question, and we likely won’t find out later in the week.
What’s clear is both guys are desperate to contribute again.
Being injured isn’t easy, especially when your team is right in the playoff hunt and you can’t do anything to help.
“It’s frustrating just watching hockey and knowing you have zero control over anything,” Zary said. “You’re watching your team play and you’re the biggest fan, but at the same time you just want to be out there playing with them. You’re hanging around the locker room and seeing them having fun, and it’s just not the same when you’re kind of on the outside.
“It’s just nice to be practising with the boys now.”