From injury to $11.3M payday: Connor Zary gets extension as Calgary Flames bet on his future

The Calgary Flames are turning the page on a long summer of negotiations with one of their brightest young players. Connor Zary’s future in Calgary was the last storyline hanging over the team before training camp, and with his new contract signed, both sides can now focus fully on the season ahead.

The agreement reflects the organization’s belief in Zary’s growth while giving the 23-year-old centre the platform to prove he can be a cornerstone moving forward.

Calgary Flames show faith in Connor Zary with new deal as former first-round pick prepares for bigger role

On Saturday, September 6, 2025, the Calgary Flames confirmed they had reached a three-year agreement with Zary worth $11.325 million, carrying an average annual value of $3.775 million. The deal serves as a classic bridge contract: a significant raise from his entry-level deal, while still giving the Flames contractual control until Zary’s final year of restricted free agency.

Zary made it clear he was thrilled to have the matter settled. Speaking at the Scotiabank Saddledome with team reporter Chris Wahl shortly after the announcement, he said:“I was more than ecstatic, you know, over the last week, just when you’re getting close to the finish line, to actually get it done. To know that it was getting done, and getting close, was huge for me.”The Flames are counting on that energy translating into production.

After posting 14 goals and 34 points as a rookie in 2023–24, Zary followed up with 13 goals and 27 points in 54 games last season before a knee injury cut things short.

Connor Zary’s development path: junior success, AHL breakout, and NHL debut with Calgary Flames

Cannor Zary’s progress has been steady since the Flames selected him 24th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. His major junior career with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers included 206 points in 203 games, and he represented Canada twice internationally—earning a silver medal at the 2021 World Junior Championship.Before making the NHL leap, he sharpened his pro game in the AHL, where he logged 21 goals and 58 points in 72 contests with Calgary’s affiliate in 2022–23. That development paid off when he debuted on November 1, 2023, scoring in his very first NHL game against the Dallas Stars.Through it all, Zary has remained focused on seizing every opportunity. Reflecting on the new chapter ahead, he told Wahl:“There’s nothing better than that. Especially after what happened last season, and to get the opportunity to play the game I love for the Calgary Flames.”For Calgary, the extension represents both security and optimism. The Flames narrowly missed the playoffs last spring, and their hopes of returning hinge on contributions from young talents like Zary. With a new deal in hand and the health concerns of last year behind him, the Saskatoon-born forward is set to play an even bigger role when the puck drops on the 2025–26 season.Also Read: CeeDee Lamb responds to doubters as the Dallas Cowboys face Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers in the 2025 season opener