Injury Updates: Islanders, Grzelcyk, Flames
The Islanders were without a pair of veterans as they continued their push for the playoffs against Columbus. The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Ryan Pulock and winger Anthony Duclair were out due to lower-body injuries. Both players took a regular shift on Saturday in Montreal while there was no word on how long either would miss.
Pulock has been a big part of the back end for the Islanders this season, logging just shy of 21 minutes per game while chipping in with 25 points and a team-high 124 blocked shots. Meanwhile, Duclair has bounced back a bit from a disastrous first season with the team to provide New York with some secondary scoring. He has 12 goals and 15 assists in 60 outings although he’s in a bit of a slump at the moment having not scored since January 21st.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Blackhawks defenseman Matt Grzelcyk sustained an injury in today’s game against Nashville and isn’t expected to accompany the team on their upcoming road trip, notes CHGO Sports’ Mario Tirabassi (Twitter link). The 32-year-old didn’t have a strong free agent market despite a 40-point showing in Pittsburgh last season, eventually inking a one-year, $1MM contract with Chicago. Grzelcyk has been a reliable veteran on a young team and has only missed one game so far this season. If he indeed misses the road trip, that will keep him out for the next four games.
- Flames winger Connor Zary is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). The 23-year-old was injured on a hit from Florida’s A.J. Greer, one that saw the Panther receive a three-game suspension. After collecting 27 points in 54 games last season, his numbers have dipped a bit this year as Zary has 11 goals and 13 assists in 67 appearances. Meanwhile, Steinberg adds that defenseman Yan Kuznetsov is nearing a return from his upper-body injury. The 24-year-old has missed a little more than a week with the issue. Kuznetsov cleared waivers in training camp but since he was recalled back in November, he has been a regular in Calgary’s lineup ever since then.
A.J. Greer Receives Three-Game Suspension
After announcing that he’d be receiving a phone hearing last night, the Department of Player Safety has made its ruling on Panthers forward A.J. Greer. The league announced (video link) that the veteran has received a three-game suspension for his hit on Flames winger Connor Zary.
The incident occurred during Thursday’s game where Greer hit Zary from behind into the boards. On the play, he was assessed a two-minute minor for hooking, a five-minute major for interference, and a game misconduct. In its ruling, the Department of Player Safety noted that Greer was in control at all times. That ultimately puts the onus on him to deliver a legal check, something he didn’t do given the distance from the boards when he hit Zary from behind.
This is the second suspension of Greer’s career. He received a one-game ban back in 2023 for a cross-check on Montreal’s Mike Hoffman. Given that it has been more than two years since that suspension, he is not classified as a repeat offender for the purposes of determining forfeited salary. Accordingly, Greer loses three days’ pay (3/192 days) compared to three games’ pay (3/82) had he been a repeat offender. With his $850K AAV, that means he will forfeit $13,281.24 in salary; that money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Greer will miss Florida’s upcoming games on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and will be eligible to return to the lineup a week today when the Panthers travel to New York to take on the Rangers.
East Notes: Greer, Stolarz, Quick
In a somewhat surprising development, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced it would have a phone hearing for Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer for his hit against Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary.
Ultimately, it means that Greer won’t be given a suspension any longer than five games. On the play in question, Greer was assessed a two-minute minor for hooking, a five-minute major for interference, and a 10-minute game misconduct. Essentially, Greer hit Zary from behind into the boards, well before there was any expectation of incidental contact.
At the very least, it suggests that the NHL DoPS isn’t feeling any outside pressure to change the way they assess supplementary discipline. After Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas was suspended for five games for delivering a knee-to-knee hit on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, who suffered a season-ending injury due to the incident, there was an outcry from fans and media for the DoPS to impose stricter discipline to prevent such situations in the future.
Other Eastern Conference notes:
- Netminder Anthony Stolarz did not make his scheduled start tonight because of an injury suffered in warm-ups. Before the game, the Maple Leafs announced that Stolarz was struck in the neck by a puck during warm-ups and was subsequently taken to a local hospital for further testing. Toronto has not provided any additional updates regarding Stolarz since.
- There is additional context regarding the New York Rangers’ recall of netminder Dylan Garand yesterday. According to Andrew Crane of the New York Post, veteran netminder Jonathan Quick is dealing with a minor upper-body ailment. Regardless, the expectation is that Garand will make his NHL debut while Quick is sidelined.
Flames Sign Connor Zary To Three-Year Contract
Saturday: The Flames officially announced the contract with the $3.775MM AAV as reported. PuckPedia reports that the deal carries a $500K signing bonus with a $3.275MM salary for the upcoming season with the salaries in 2026-27 and 2027-28 being a flat $3.775MM.
Friday: The Flames are getting their final RFA under contract. They’re putting the finishing touches on a three-year contract with forward Connor Zary worth just under $3.775MM per season, per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. The deal was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It will check off the last major item on Calgary’s off-season list.
After weeks of anticipation, Zary will put pen to paper on a bridge contract that will keep him in the Saddledome. The 2020 first-round pick has emerged as a top option in Calgary’s retooled offense, after two years of high-end play in the AHL. Zary made his pro debut in February, 2021 – taking advantage of the delayed start to the WHL season due to COVID-19. He looked pro-ready right out of the gates, netting seven points in his first nine AHL games before returning to captain the Kamloops Blazers through the end of the season. He scored 24 points in 15 games with the Blazers and turned pro full-time the following year, concluding his junior career at 206 points in 203 games.
After a hot start, Zary stuttered a bit in his first full AHL year. He scored just 13 goals and 25 points in 53 games, and struggled to maintain a role near the top of the Stockton Heat lineup. Those fortunes turned around when the Heat relocated to Calgary for the 2022-23 season. Zary blossomed with the heat of the NHL that much closer. He looked more engaged across the board, and worked to an impressive 21 goals and 58 points in 72 games as a result. That performance wasn’t enough to earn an NHL role outright, but Zary forced the Flames’ hand with 10 points in six AHL games – including one four-assist night – at the start of the 2023-24 season.
Calgary has provided Zary plenty of opportunity to plant his feet in the NHL lineup in the two seasons since. He debuted in the team’s top-six, and cemented his spot with six points through his first six NHL games. The scoring continued through the year – and he wrapped up his first season with 34 points in 63 games, the sixth-highest scoring pace of any rookie. He was comfortably fluctuating between the second and third line by the end of the year, and even capped off his rookie year with four points in his final five games.
This season started much the same. Zary scored five points in the first four games of the season – but quickly fell into the rut of scoring in bursts, with long scoring droughts in between. He struggled to maintain a top-line role as a result, and ultimately fell out of the lineup entirely when he suffered an injury to his left-knee in a January matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. The injury held Zary out of the lineup for a month and a half – and he struggled to find his footing after returning. He scored just two points in his first nine games back. Right as he was returning to form in late-March, Zary sustained another injury to his left-knee. This one ended his season early, limiting him to just 27 points in 54 games on the year.
The 23-year-old center faced the first free agent negotiations of his young career on the heels of those untimely injuries. He was undoubtedly impressive at his brightest moments, but was kept from showing full-season consistency by routine injury – making a bridge deal all but guaranteed. With short-term control, the Flames will be able to hedge their bets in the event that Zary continues to bounce in and out of the lineup, or face extended scoring lulls. On the same coin, the young centerman could soon earn much more than his $3.775MM cap hit – if he can show an ability to hold down a top-six role through an entire 82-game season. He has averaged 43 points per 82 games through his first two seasons in the NHL – but seems capable of achieving 50, or even 60, points at his peak based on talent alone. On this new deal, Calgary will test whether that talent can exist above, or through, the challenges that Zary faces as a young speedster in the NHL.
Photo courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.
Flames, Connor Zary Making Progress On Three-Year Deal
The Flames are “getting closer” to a resolution with restricted free agent Connor Zary, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports Tuesday. It’s likely to be a three-year deal when it finally gets across the finish line, in line with what Calgary’s front office was reportedly aiming for in talks last month.
The cap hit on said deal will likely be in the neighborhood of $3.5MM, as indicated by AFP Analytics’ projections from the beginning of the offseason. Cap space was no object in talks for the Flames, who still have over $15MM in flexibility for opening night with only Zary left to sign, according to PuckPedia.
Zary ended up as one of the longest RFA negotiations this summer after plateauing in his sophomore season. After scoring 34 points in 63 games in 2023-24 and finishing eighth in Calder Trophy voting, he churned out 27 points in 54 games last year – a decrease of 0.04 points per game. Matters weren’t helped by a pair of lower-body injuries, including a knee injury that ended his season a few weeks early.
There’s still some room to grow for Zary, though. He turns 24 later this month and was Calgary’s first-round pick (No. 24 overall) in 2020. So far, that billing seems appropriate – his 61 career points rank exactly 24th among 2020 draftees. He also took on consistent top-nine and more frequent top-six deployment last season, averaging north of 16 minutes per game.
As he continues to work on building up his offensive acumen, he should expect a similar role in 2025-26. The Flames will begin camp with no notable changes to their forward group over the offseason, meaning a spot on the wing alongside either Mikael Backlund or Nazem Kadri should be his for the taking. It’s not as if he hadn’t been making linear progress up until last year – he steadily increased his production in the minors before exploding with AHL Calgary to start 2023-24, scoring 10 points in six games before earning his first NHL recall and never looking back.
A three-year deal would keep Zary under team control in the summer of 2028, but that’s Calgary’s last chance to negotiate with him as an RFA. Any subsequent deal he signs will lead him to unrestricted free agency.
Afternoon Notes: Hockey Canada, Zary, Harley
A preliminary report has been released by the ‘Future of Sport in Canada’ commission, a group formed in May of 2024 focused on reviewing Canada’s amateur sports system. In it, the group made a recommendation for the creation of an independent body to oversee amateur sports across the country, shares TSN’s Rick Westhead. They claim that this group could address both funding shortages and instances of abuse or maltreatment.
The recommendation was one of 71 made by the commission in their initial report. It follows an investigation that spanned visits to 12 Canadian cities and review of over 1,000 written submissions. Their findings detailed multiple instances of abuse or neglect, including suspended or banned coaches still working within their clubs. This effort comes as part of a yearlong push to make Canadian amateur sports more safe and secure environments for children and families. The federal Heritage Committee also made recommendations for changes in the sports system in June 2024.
The creation of an independent oversight committee would be an innovative push into public support of youth sports. It could be an effort that bodies like USA Hockey – who currently handles oversight internally – looks to mimic in years to come.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Calgary Flames restricted-free agent Connor Zary will likely end up with a bridge-deal, per hockey insider Jeff Marek on the latest Empty Netters podcast episode. Zary remains one of the top available free agents, after posting 13 goals and 27 points in 54 games last season. That equates to a 41-point scoring pace over 82 games. Zary has stepped up as a reliable, middle-six center for the Flames over the last two seasons. He’s racked up 61 points in 117 career games, and should be due for big growth over the next few seasons. First, he’ll need to find his way back to good health after missing 47 games over the last two years due to injury. That bad luck could make a bridge deal sensible, and give Zary a chance to earn a payday before his prime years.
- Also on the Empty Netters podcast, Marek shared that the Dallas Stars aren’t likely to go above Miro Heiskanen‘s cap hit for 2026 RFA defenseman Thomas Harley. Heiskanen signed an eight-year, $67.6MM contract with the Stars in 2021, at the age of 22. The deal carries an $8.45MM cap hit. Heiskanen had totaled 131 points in 275 games before signing the deal. That’s more scoring and experience than Harley’s 103 points in 197 career games. Harley also turned 24-years-old two weeks ago. He’s a sharp offensive-defenseman who thrived in Heiskanen’s absence last season, but a lighter resume and older age could counteract a rising salary cap in his contract negotiations.
Pacific Notes: Wolf, Zary, Kraken
While last season was a successful one for Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf, he is setting a high bar for his encore season and has playoff aspirations heading into the new campaign, per NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest.
The 24-year-old netminder, who is currently holding extension discussions with the team, posted a 29-16-8 record to go along with a .910 save percentage last season. Those numbers earned him a second-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting, as well as a respectable seventh place in Veniza voting. Interestingly, he also finished second among all NHL goaltenders in Hart Memorial votes, behind only winner Connor Hellebuyck.
Despite being undersized, Wolf flashed the potential that the Flames were hoping for. However, he isn’t satisfied with simply repeating last year’s performance — either individually or as a team.
“Your objective is to come to the next season, have a good summer and be better. I think the term I like to use right now is, ‘not to be complacent.’ I’m still super young, trying to learn my way around the League,” he said. “I have one full year under my belt, but that means absolutely nothing. I want to come in here with a chip on my shoulder. We have a lot to prove as a team.”
Elsewhere around the Pacific Division:
- Sticking with the Flames, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is hearing the team and restricted free agent Connor Zary continue to remain apart on an extension. Speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said that while he believes the two sides will eventually reach a deal, both term and annual salary remain sticking points. “I don’t think this is a situation where the Flames don’t like the player, or the player doesn’t like the Flames,” Friedman said. “And the good news is the market is picking up.” In 54 games last season, Zary posted 13 goals and 27 points.
- The Seattle Kraken are coming off a down season where many things didn’t go according to plan, including special teams play. The Kraken finished 23rd in the league on the power play with an 18.9 percent success rate and 21st on the penalty kill at 77.2 percent. It’s an issue general manager Jason Botterill is looking to shore up this season, per NHL.com’s Kevin Woodley. “We certainly have opportunity for growth in both those categories, and we have to show improvement to have success,” said Botterill. To that end, forward Mason Marchment was acquired via trade in June, partly to support Seattle’s power play. On the PK, Botterill noted that younger players will be expected to step up, specifically mentioning Matty Beniers and Ryker Evans as key contributors.
Poll: Who Will Be The Next RFA To Sign?
The summer is winding down across the NHL, but a rich group of remaining restricted-free agents are keeping multiple teams from closing their books just yet. There are still multiple top, young players awaiting contracts for the 2025-26 season – including top-line features like Luke Hughes, Marco Rossi, and Mason McTavish. Pending any holdouts, it seems hard to imagine any of the top names not finding a new deal before the start of the season. But who will get the assurance next?
Hughes seems like a confident bet. There’s no denying the warm relationship between his family and the New Jersey Devils organization, and both team and player have already expressed interest in locking up a long-term contract. But that desire has been the exact hang-up in contract negotiations, as the Devils sit with just over $6.1MM in available cap space, per PuckPedia. Hughes scored 44 points in 71 games last year, and 47 points in 82 games in the year prior. That scoring is the second-most from any U23 defender in the NHL over the last two seasons, just behind Jake Sanderson (95 points) and ahead of Brock Faber (76 points).
Both Sanderson and Faber have already found their contracts for the future – each signing eight-year deals with cap hits north of $8MM. That seems to set a clear market for what Hughes, but it’s a price tag that New Jersey is currently priced out of. Landing a new deal with Hughes will seemingly take a gentleman’s agreement, or a supplemental move like parting with the $1.15MM cap hit of Kurtis MacDermid.
New Jersey’s holdups could pave way for Anaheim Ducks center McTavish to land a deal first. McTavish is another undeniable talent, who worked his way to a lofty 22 goals and 52 points in 76 games last season – good for second on the Ducks in scoring. He seems well set up for another big step next season, on an improved Ducks lineup with a new head coach. But McTavish’s continued divide with a rich Ducks team – currently wielding $20.54MM in cap space – has many speculating about what the two sides could be disagreeing on. That dialogue has made McTavish a top option for any team considering a late-summer offer sheet, though Anaheim’s rich cap space would make it tough to successfully buy McTavish. Instead, it seems the two sides will be tasked only with deciding between a short-term bridge deal or a deal that carries McTavish through his prime.
The Minnesota Wild will be facing a similarly challenging question with top center Marco Rossi. Rossi is another player who managed a true breakout last year, with 24 goals and 60 points in 82 games. He stepped into a prime role with the Wild in the second-half of the year, taking on the top-line center role with Joel Eriksson Ek out with injury and routinely earning north of 20 minutes of ice time. Rossi looked up to the task, but then was surprisingly relegated to a fourth-line role for Minnesota’s six postseason games. The Wild are clearly at ends with the question of whether Rossi’s 5-foot-9 frame can stand up to a true #1 role. That hang-up has made Rossi’s situation perhaps the most likely to drag through the pre-season. And still, it’s hard to imagine Minnesota will give up easily on their most recent top-10 draft pick. Rossi could be a strong candidate for a short-term, prove-it contract – which would give Minnesota the time to figure out his lineup role. The Wild sit with just over $9.4MM in cap space.
There are plenty of strong candidates to sign next outside of the big three names. The gap between the Calgary Flames and impressive center Connor Zary has been revealed as narrow. Multiple players have already carved out lineup roles with their signing team, and now only need the deal to prove it – players like Seattle’s Ryker Evans and Nashville’s Luke Evangelista. And other teams are merely one contract away from a full book, like the Vegas Golden Knights with winger Alexander Holtz. Any of those situations could quickly cave, and land another promising young player with the ramp they need for next season.
Who do you think will sign next? Answer in the poll below and let us know why in the comments:
Which RFA Will Sign Next?
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Luke Hughes 0% (0)
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Mason McTavish 0% (0)
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Marco Rossi 0% (0)
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Connor Zary 0% (0)
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Luke Evangelista, updated 0% (0)
Total votes: 692
Mobile users click here to vote.
Flames, Connor Zary Remain Apart In Contract Talks
The Flames and RFA forward Connor Zary still have a roughly $1MM gap to bridge as they continue talks on a new contract, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports.
While Calgary prefers a three-year deal and Zary is open to that term, the Flames are holding firm in the $3MM-$3.5MM range annually, Di Marco writes. Zary’s ask on a three-year pact is around $4.5MM annually.
Zary does have first-round pedigree (No. 24 overall in 2020) to fall back on, but his ask on a multi-year deal likely checks in above market value. He’ll be 24 in September and only emerged as a full-time NHL option in the 2023-24 campaign and missed nearly 30 games last season due to injury.
When healthy, the 6’0″ forward has comfortably shouldered top-nine minutes, primarily on the wing, and has averaged 19 goals and 43 points per 82 games while seeing 15:39 of action per night. His point per game pace decreased from 0.54 in his rookie season to 0.50 in 2024-25, however. He finished the year with a 13-14–27 line in 54 contests.
That platform year heavily favors Calgary’s ask. AFP Analytics’ projection at the beginning of the summer for a short-term deal was three years at around $3.42MM per season, right in the ballpark of the Flames’ offer. As such, it’s hard to envision general manager Craig Conroy moving the goalposts much further than they’re currently set.
Zary was not eligible for salary arbitration this summer. Since his age upon signing his first NHL contract was 18, he requires four years of experience with at least 10 NHL games played. That means he won’t be eligible for arbitration next offseason if he signs a one-year deal, either. He’d need at least a two-year contract to make him arbitration-eligible upon expiry, and a three-year deal would leave him just one year away from UFA eligibility.
Snapshots: Zary, Eklund, Brennan
The Calgary Flames grabbed headlines yesterday after signing forward Martin Pospisil to a three-year, $7.5MM extension. Still, restricted free agent forward Connor Zary remains unsigned heading into August, and negotiations are reportedly moving more slowly than expected.
In a new article from Daniel Austin of The Calgary Herald, when asked about Zary’s status, the journalist quoted Flames General Manager Craig Conroy saying, “We’re talking. It’s been slow, though. Even with Pospisil, there comes a point where it heats up and you think ‘Now we’re close’ and then you’re able to get it done really quick. Pospisil was probably two, three months we were talking with (agent Dan Millstein).”
Much of the disagreement reportedly centers on the contract length, with the Flames favoring a bridge deal and Zary advocating for a long-term contract. In all seriousness, Zary likely hasn’t earned a long-term deal yet, unless he’s willing to take a below-market salary. Over the past two years, the former 24th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has scored 27 goals and recorded 61 points in 117 games with the Flames, achieving a +5 rating while averaging 15:39 of ice time per game.
Other snapshots:
- To little surprise, Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News reported earlier that recent first-round pick of the New York Islanders, Victor Eklund, won’t join the team for rookie camp or development camp in a few weeks. It’s already well known that this summer’s 16th overall selection will play for the SHL’s Djurgårdens IF this next season, and may lose his spot in the lineup if he misses the first few weeks of the regular season for Islanders training camp. Since he isn’t vying for a role on New York’s opening night roster, it makes far more sense for Eklund to continue his development overseas.
- According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Barry Brennan as their new strength and conditioning coach. Brennan had previously served as the Blue Jackets’ conditioning coach from 2005 to 2010, before serving in the same role with the Atlanta Thrashers for the 2010-11 season, before becoming a team consultant for the KHL’s CSKA Moskva. He’ll replace now-former strength and conditioning coach Kevin Collins, who had been serving in the role since Brennan’s departure ahead of the 2010-11 season.