Connor Zary Opens Up About Waiver Experience After Joining Wranglers

Days after being placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames, Connor Zary has cleared and joined the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, practicing with the team on Wednesday.

The Flames’ first-round pick, 24th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, appeared calm and composed when he spoke with the media. Still, Zary admitted the news caught him off guard, and he isn’t exactly happy about being sent down.

“I was pretty surprised, I’m not going to sit here and lie,” said Zary. “ I just got a phone call that said I was going on waivers and, obviously, it’s not something you really expect a couple games into the season, but it’s something you spend 24 hours thinking of and sitting with and then you try and get back to work.”

Waiting out the 24-hour waiver period to find out whether another NHL team would claim him was difficult for the 25-year-old. Once he cleared, Zary said the support he received, including the many text messages that came his way, helped him stay focused on what comes next.

“It sucks, right, there’s no sugar coating it, you’re just sitting there by yourself on your couch for 24 hours - that feels like five days -where you’re just waiting to hear anything and everything about what’s happening with your life. For sure, it sucks.”

At Wednesday’s practice, Zary skated alongside Dryden Hunt and William Stromgren. While the circumstances aren’t ideal, he said he’s looking forward to playing with his new linemates and getting back to enjoying the game.

For Zary, the immediate priority is simple: get back to work.

“It hurts, definitely, at the start and then you kind of just got to put your head down and go to work,” said Zary. “For me I think it’s just trying to do the right things coming down here, enjoying the game and having fun with these guys.”

As for whether he expects to eventually return to the Flames, Zary wasn’t making any predictions. That decision is out of his hands, and his focus is on controlling what he can.

“I think that’s up to them,” said Zary. “I’m here to just do what I can do as a player. I want to play hockey.” 

“That’s not really my focus right now,” he added. “I think it’s just to take it day by day and do my thing.”

Zary hasn’t been able to fully regain the form he showed earlier in his NHL career after suffering multiple knee injuries two seasons ago. Last season was a difficult one as well, with his role reduced to fourth-line minutes at times while he also spent time in the press box.

He opened this season with one assist through two games but was a healthy scratch for Calgary’s second game.

Now, he’s back with the Wranglers, where he spent parts of three seasons, with an opportunity to reset his game and rebuild some of the confidence that made him one of Calgary’s most intriguing young players in the first place.