Connor Zary got his first shot at centre with the Calgary Flames this season and the team is hopeful he will flourish
With Connor Zary at centre, the Calgary Flames may have found their optimal top-nine lineup. At least for now.
They rolled with Zary between Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich during their 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Friday night. It's the first time we've seen Zary in the middle this season.
Martin Pospisil and Andrei Kuznetsov flanked Nazem Kadri, with Mikael Backlund between his ride-or-die Blake Coleman and sophomore Matt Coronato. On the fourth line, it was Justin Kirkland centring Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Rooney.
Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf was the big story with his first NHL shutout. And rightly so. But the continuous struggle to find the right mix at centre for a team that's openly looking to add to that position is something that will be watched pretty closely in the coming days.
Zary played just over 13 minutes on Friday — his second lowest ice time total this season — and his line served as the third option most of the night. While the Kadri and Backlund lines were more effective in pumping out shots and offensive opportunities, there were some positive signs for Zary.
He didn't hurt the Flames defensively and was almost 50 per cent in the faceoff dot, finishing with seven wins and eight losses on draws — an area the Flames have struggled in all season.
Letting him develop with a strong finisher in Sharangovich and another playmaker in Huberdeau is the only way the Flames will find out whether or not Zary has it in him to be a top-six centre for the future.
It was time for a change, either way.
The move was in part because of Pospisil's struggles at centre, but also the lack of production after a hot start from Zary. The 23-year-old has just one poing (a goal) in his last 10 games after starting the season with a pair of goals and seven points in his first eight contests.
We'll see how it pans out but it's something fans and the franchise has been looking forward to.