Does Rookie Connor Zary Get Shot As Top Centre After Calgary Flames Trade?

Flames have options at centre after moving top pivot Elias Lindholm to Vancouver Canucks in massive trade

Realistically, Mikael Backlund has been the Calgary Flames’ top centre this season — maybe every season when you consider the entire picture. But the departure of Elias Lindholm in this week’s trade leaves a huge hole down the middle.

Lindholm was viewed as the top line pivot for the Flames, centring Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich on a line that had been developing more chemistry and cohesiveness in recent months.

It will be curious to see whether head coach Ryan Huska goes full blender and attempts to keep things as close to what they were prior to the big deal.

Do they just push Nazem Kadri up the ranks?

Will Sharangovich shift to the middle and welcome newcomer Andrei Kuzmenko to the wing?

Does Lindholm’s spot go to rookie Connor Zary?

Flames fans won’t find out for a few more days. They don’t play again until Tuesday night in Boston. The silence of the bye week and all-star break was broken up only by the loud statement made by Flames GM Craig Conroy with his massive deal, sending Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.

With a youth movement in progress, many would love to see what Zary can do between Huberdeau and Sharangovich. He’s been one of the Flames’ best players all season while playing primarily with Kadri and fellow freshman Martin Pospisil. 

Here’s what the roster could look like if Zary gets the tap:

Huberdeau – Zary – Sharangovich

Pospisil – Kadri – Kuzmenko

Coleman – Backlund – Mangiapane

Duehr – Schwindt – Klapka

In this scenario, Zary jumps and Kuzmenko takes his spot on the Kadri line. You’ll notice Matt Coronato is not recalled from the AHL in this case. He continues to develop with the Wranglers to work on improving important pieces of his game.

If Kadri moves up, the shuffle is a bit more extreme:

Huberdeau – Kadri – Kuzmenko

Zary – Sharangovich – Coronato

Coleman – Backlund – Mangiapane

Pospisil – Schwindt – Duehr

Many other options are possible, with Zary in the middle instead of Sharangovich, or even the summoning of Kevin Rooney or another Wranglers centre.

None of those are as offensively attractive as Zary or Sharangovich moving over.

And after scoring 10 goals and 23 points through his first 39 NHL games to bring himself to the brink of Calder conversation, Zary might be the fan favourite to see what kind of connection he might form with Huberdeau and Sharangovich, or perhaps Kuzmenko.

Maybe not the most responsible combination, but it would certainly be exciting.

And after a trade like that, and more to come before the NHL trade deadline, wins are not the expectation going forward.