Connor Zary is facing significant pressure as he enters his third NHL season with the Calgary Flames. After a summer of negotiations, the Flames and Zary resolved their contract dispute, signing a three-year contract extension worth $11.325 million with an average annual value of $3.775 million. This deal represents a significant pay increase for Zary, who is coming off his entry-level contract.

Zary, who turns 24 this season, is coming off a year where a knee injury limited him to 54 games. Despite the injury, he has shown consistent improvement in his first two seasons, recording 14 goals and 34 points as a rookie and 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in his second season. In total, Zary has played 117 NHL games, accumulating 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points, along with 36 penalty minutes.

The new contract is a bridge deal that takes Zary to his final year of restricted free agent (RFA) eligibility, giving the Flames contractual control for the next few seasons. The Flames are expressing confidence that Zary can take the next step and remain healthy, especially as the team has postseason aspirations after narrowly missing the playoffs last season. General Manager Craig Conroy has stated that the team hopes Zary can become a 50-to-60 point player and that getting him into camp on time was important. Conroy also mentioned that the team needs him to "grab a spot higher in the lineup, the highest he can. We need him to take another step".

Zary was drafted by the Flames with the 24th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He played his junior hockey with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL), amassing 206 points in 203 WHL games from 2017 to 2021 and captaining the Blazers in his final junior season. Zary has also represented Canada at the 2019 U-18 World Championship and the 2021 World Junior Championship, earning a silver medal.

Zary has expressed his excitement and relief at finalizing the contract, stating he can now focus solely on the upcoming season. He told the Flames website, "It was a long one, but to get it finally done is a huge weight off the shoulders,”. He added, "It feels unbelievable. Honestly, I can't wait to get to Calgary and get things going here. It feels good to have it in pen now, and just get things going".

The Flames begin their season against the Edmonton Oilers on October 8. A healthy and productive Zary could significantly boost the Flames' offense, which finished fourth-last in NHL scoring last season. The organization is also considering moving Zary to the center position to address a need in that area.