Connor Zary Offer Sheet Watch? Western Rivals Could Pounce as Flames Fumble Contract Negotiations

Calgary Flames restricted free agent winger Connor Zary remains about $1 million apart in talks with the club, per Anthony Di Marco of 'Daily FaceOff'.

Both parties like the three-year term, but it's dollars they are haggling over. Calgary is sticking at the $3-$3.5 million AAV range, while Connor Zary wants something in the ballpark of roughly about $4.5 million, an amount the Flames are not willing to pay.

Zary, picked 24th overall in 2020, missed almost 30 games coming back from injury last season. The 23-year-old scored 13 goals and added 14 assists in 54 games, while playing a top-nine role on the wing.

Despite his scoring dipping in 2024-25, his underlying stats are still very much positive.

AFP Analytics estimated a three-year contract worth $3.42 million per season, about what Calgary has been willing to pay, and definitely not as much as what Zary wants.

That places the pressure on the Flames' group to get something done as soon as possible.

A three-year contract would put him one year away from being a UFA, which would still give the Flames control, which is why they are big fans of that type of term.

If this contract impasse persists, Zary could be a tempting target for an offer sheet, particularly from Western Canadian rivals like the Jets, Oilers, or Canucks, who could be salivating at the chance to exploit Calgary's cap management and poach a budding young star.

They would much rather Zary on their side of the lineup than with a rival, and we imagine the Flames surely feel the same way, too.