Zary looks like a cornerstone center for a Calgary Flames team lacking long-term depth down the middle

With the NHL holiday break starting early for the Calgary Flames, we're looking at each and every member of the franchise and what their season has been like so far. Today, we're profiling Connor Zary.

There are no grades — this isn't high school — but these quick-and-dirty glimpses into their season illustrate where they're at ahead of the calendar flip from 2024 to 2025. 

Name: Connor Zary

Position: Center/Winger

Stats: 8 goals, 12 assists, 20 pts, 1 PPG, 9 PPP, 70 SOG, 11.4 SH%

Summary: A 50-point season would be considered a solid sophomore campaign for Connor Zary. That's a benchmark he may hit on his current pace. However, the 23-year-old center has shown potential for so much more. 

Moving to the middle after starting the year on the wing, Zary has quickly adapted and is driving the play as a pivot, capable of dangling around defenders as well as winning battles on the boards. 

With three goals and eight points in his last eight games before the holiday break, Zary is one of the hottest members of the Calgary Flames. 

If there is a silver lining to the Flames' season, which has somehow turned into a chase for a playoff spot rather than a top-10 draft pick as so many fans hoped, it's that young players like Zary are driving it. 

He's firmly in the spotlight as a symbol of hope for the franchise's future. As one of the COVID draft year prospects, Zary was given plenty of time to develop his skills in the AHL before securing a full-time spot last year as a rookie. In what looks like it will be his first full season in the NHL, Zary seems to be growing in confidence. 

For the record, he was the game's first star in a 6-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the matinee finale before the holidays — against another impressive sophomore named Connor. The Hawks' Connor Bedard. 

Zary sure looks like a player who can be a cornerstone for a franchise in transition.