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Why a Connor Zary trade still feels likely for the Calgary Flames

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Jul 24 2026, 6:17 pm
Why a Connor Zary trade still feels likely for the Calgary Flames
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

It’s been exactly one month since TSN’s Darren Dreger first reported that the Calgary Flames were trying to trade Connor Zary.

To this point, nothing has come to fruition, and it has mostly quieted down. Many are even beginning to analyze where Zary will slot into the lineup for the 2026-27 season. To those, I say, not so fast.

While the Flames certainly won’t have a deep roster this season, they do have plenty of wingers fighting for NHL spots. Here’s a look at every winger on this roster who will be on the roster, or has a good shot at cracking it.

  • Jonathan Huberdeau (LW)
  • Matt Coronato (RW)
  • Yegor Sharangovich (LW/RW)
  • Joel Farabee (RW/LW)
  • Maxim Tsyplakov (RW/LW)
  • Adam Klapka (RW)
  • Matvei Gridin (RW/LW)
  • Sam Honzek (LW)

Right there you have eight wingers, and that doesn’t include Brennan Othmann, who could find himself on the opening night roster with a strong training camp.

The Flames did take one winger out of the fray in Blake Coleman, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild. Even with that move, they still have a surplus in that position. Given Zary’s struggles and lack of usage, it’s hard to see where he fits.

It seems fair to suggest that, at least to begin the season, the likes of Gridin, Coronato, Farabee, and Huberdeau (assuming he’s healthy) will start the season off in the top six. The same could even be said for Honzek, who was starting to look really comfortable in 2025-26 before undergoing season-ending surgery in late November.

Should that be the case, it could be yet another season where Zary finds himself bouncing around the lineup, mostly in a bottom-six role. That isn’t where he thrives, and could result in him having his third-straight disappointing season. The Flames need to ensure that doesn’t happen.

In order to do so, the best thing to do is trade Zary. It not only unclogs the wing depth, but would come at a time when other teams around the league would still believe they can resurrect the 24-year-old’s value. His value on the trade market is likely to fall even further should he spend another season in Calgary.

Though not easy given how promising he looked just a few years ago, the Flames appear to be better off moving on from Zary before the 2026-27 season gets underway.

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