Flames' Huska explains his controversial decision to scratch Connor Zary
With playoffs out of the question, many have expected to see the Calgary Flames give their young talent plenty of opportunity to close out the season. Head coach Ryan Huska doesn’t seem to buy into that philosophy.
Huska surprised many yesterday, as he chose to make Connor Zary a healthy scratch in what was a must-win game against the Winnipeg Jets. Though Zary has struggled as of late with just one assist in six outings since returning from injury, he has been one of the few bright spots on this Flames team this season.
The Flames wound up falling to the Jets by a 5-2 final, which officially eliminated them from postseason contention. That said, it has been obvious for some time now that this team was not going to be in the playoffs, making the decision to scratch the 22-year-old Zary a questionable one in the eyes of many. Huska explained the rationale behind doing so earlier today.
“We’re not in the playoffs right now, but I don’t believe in giving free games to people just because they’re young,” Huska said. “What type of message and lesson are they learning along the way? If you wanna see the way games are played, you look at MacKenzie Weegar. Right now, he’s playing every game like it’s his last game. And that’s the expectation we have for all of our players. Just because you’re young or someone that’s up and coming should not be a reason why they’re getting games.”
Due to injury and his play cooling off, talks of Zary being a Calder Trophy finalist have quieted in recent months. That said, he is still having a solid rookie season with 12 goals and 30 points through 56 games. Perhaps this scratch will add some extra motivation to allow him to finish the season strong — starting tomorrow night in a game against the Edmonton Oilers.
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