There have been 2 versions of Connor Zary. Before and after the knee injury. Before the injury, Zary was electric and looked like he could be a skilled middle six forward in the NHL. Unfortunately he's never been the same since the injury. His skating took a massive step back.
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Should the Canucks claim Flames forward Connor Zary off NHL waivers?
Photo credit: © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2026, 16:32 EDTUpdated: Oct 5, 2026, 16:34 EDT
On Monday morning, the Calgary Flames put forward Connor Zary on waivers, along with defenceman Brayden Pachal. If both clear, the Flames will send them to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
With top NHL waiver priority, the Vancouver Canucks have first pick at who they want to claim. If general manager Ryan Johnson wants to claim Zary, he’s theirs. So does adding Zary to the roster make sense?
Zary, 25, was drafted 24th overall by the Flames in 2020 and is in year two of a three-year contract with a $3.775 million AAV. While the Saskatoon native has one assist through two games, the Flames have struggled mightily out of the gate; they’ve been outscored 16-3 as they sit last in the NHL with a 0-3 record.
The decision by the Flames to put Zary on waivers is an extremely odd one. Over the past three seasons, Zary has been a consistent scorer; he posted 34 points in his first NHL season, and followed it up with 52 points across his previous two.
So why are the Flames willing to risk him on the waiver wire? According to Daily Faceoff Calgary’s Robert Munnich, a lot of Zary’s dynamism has disappeared since a pair of knee injuries in 2025. His foot speed has dropped off significantly, and he’s been at odds with Flames head coach Ryan Huska over his play.
Vancouver’s forward depth is starting from a decent place, but questions about their long-term effectiveness remain. Aatu Räty made his season debut Saturday after Jake DeBrusk came down with the flu last week. Both of the Canucks’ remaining healthy scratches are defencemen: Guillaume Brisebois and Victor Mancini have yet to see game action this season.
Zary would make for a good low-risk reclamation project for the Canucks to take on in their current form. If it pans out, the Canucks could add an extra 30-point scorer without giving up any of their own players. If Zary still struggles to regain his pre-injury form, there would be no qualms about putting him back on waivers later. There’s also little cap-space concern, as the Canucks could easily fit him in with nearly $16.5 million in room available.
Where in the lineup to put him is a different question altogether. Zary is a natural centre, but most recently played on the right wing next to Ryan Strome and Samuel Honzek. The Canucks are likely happy with their centre depth chart – Elias Pettersson, Paul Cotter, Max Sasson, Räty, with natural centre Marco Rossi playing the wing for now – which leaves the wing as the place to slot Zary in.
But someone would have to come out of the lineup to make that happen. Räty’s faceoff prowess makes him a difficult player to lift out right now, and the team is extremely high on Arshdeep Bains’ role as a depth forward and what his success as a promotion from Abbotsford shows. That essentially leaves one spot open: Brendan Gallagher’s, who’s looked a step behind and struggled to generate offence in his first three games with the Canucks.
When DeBrusk returns from illness, the conversation would need to change, but for now, Zary makes a lot of sense for where the Canucks are. Zary has a clear role in Vancouver as a middle-six winger, and the Canucks would take zero risk in giving him a chance.
Do you want to see the Canucks claim Connor Zary off NHL waivers? Let us know in the comment section below.
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