Calgary Flames fans are waiting, wondering and worrying.
There has been no official word on the health of rising star centre Connor Zary, who was in major pain after Tuesday’s knee-on-knee collision with Anaheim Ducks defenceman Drew Helleson.
As soon as the team returns to Calgary, Zary will have the necessary tests and imaging to determine the extent of the injury to his left knee/leg.
While we know it didn’t look good, we don’t know much more than that.
As fans, teammates and management hope for the best, here are five potential impacts of an injury to one of the Flames’ most important players.
Potential impact on Flames’ playoff push
With Tuesday’s overtime triumph against the Ducks in Anaheim, the Flames moved into a tie for the second wildcard slot in the Western Conference. They have proven a lot of people wrong so far, but the job is not quite half done — Wednesday’s postponed matchup with the Los Angeles Kings would have been Game 41 of 82 — and a significant injury to Zary would be a massive blow to their playoff hopes. If he is not already their most dynamic forward, the 23-year-old is certainly on the short list. He is currently third on the team charts in both goals and points, trailing only Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. According to Natural Stat Trick, Zary is also second on the squad in high-danger scoring chances. Already struggling to tickle twine, the Flames would rather find out how much they’d miss this go-to guy.
Potential impact on Yegor Sharangovich
Sharangovich plunked the post twice in Anaheim, a couple of close calls as he attempts to snap out of an extended scoring slump. ‘Sharky’ has now gone 14 consecutive games without a goal — and his most recent notch was an empty-netter. The last time he fooled a netminder and avoided the iron was back on Nov. 25 in Ottawa. Most believe that Sharangovich is best as a winger, but he played a mix of all three forward positions a year ago as he racked up a team-high 31 goals. On the active roster, he is their most experienced alternative at centre and does deserve credit for some major improvements at the faceoff dot this season. He could work the middle in Zary’s absence, but most will be pushing for this next option …
Potential impact on Rory Kerins
The impact on Kerins should be pretty straightforward, shouldn’t it? If the Flames have an immediate need for a centre, this 22-year-old is the obvious call-up candidate. Kerins is the AHL’s leading lamp-lighter so far this season, having torched netminders for 21 goals in 34 games, and was selected Wednesday to represent the Wranglers at all-star weekend. Despite his eye-popping numbers, some scouts remain torn on Kerins’ big-league potential. He’s definitely improved his skating, but is he prepared for the pace of the NHL? Will his offensive gifts translate to the top level? There’s only one way to find out. It’s worth noting that as recently as about 15 months ago, those same questions lingered about Zary. And look at the impact he’s had.
Potential impact on trade talks
It’s no secret that Craig Conroy has been shopping for a centre — ideally a guy in his early-20s and with a righty curve on his sticks. Those don’t grow on trees, of course, and the asking price is always steep. Patience has been one of Conroy’s strengths as a general manager, so we don’t expect that he will be rushed into a trade. But you can bet that he’ll continue to work the phones, perhaps calling to see if Dylan Cozens is actually on the block in Buffalo or if Minnesota’s Bill Guerin was bluffing when he insisted that Marco Rossi is not available. Since this was already on the Flames’ wish list, it’s not like Zary will return from injury and they’ll be stuck thinking, ‘Hey, we don’t need a centre anymore.’
Potential impact on contract talks
This is a tricky one. Zary is nearing the end of his entry-level contract, set to be a restricted free agent this summer. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves without knowing the severity of the injury, but an extended absence could have an impact on negotiations. Knowing that No. 47 is such a huge piece of the long-term plan, we’re sure the Flames are keen to sign Zary to a long-term extension — maybe even the maximum eight years — and that would absolutely appeal to this rising star from Saskatoon, who loves life in Calgary. The challenge is trying to determine a fair dollar value for a dude who just hit the 100-game plateau. Could that potentially mean that a bridge contract might make more sense for both sides?