The Calgary Flames are now 19 games into the 2023-24 season, and after a rough start, the team has been trending in the right direction of late. Since a Nov. 1 loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars, the Flames have gone 6-2-2 and have outscored the opposition 39-31. It is of no coincidence whatsoever that this change was initiated by some call-ups via the Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate down the hall in the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Calgary Wranglers. On Halloween, the team brought up 2020 first-rounder Connor Zary, followed by fellow forward Martin Pospisil and defenceman Nick DeSimone on Nov. 3. The trio has been impressing anyone associated with the Flames immensely thus far.
The three men have combined for a whopping six goals and 18 points in the last 10 games. Both Zary and Pospisil scored their first career NHL goals in their first games, whereas DeSimone is still searching for his but has played meaningful minutes on the backend. Standing out amongst the trio is the aforementioned Zary, whose play has been consistently mind-boggling considering his lack of professional experience. In fact, he is off to one of the better starts in Flames history with three goals, nine points, a plus-3 rating, and 14 shots on goal through his first 10 NHL games. Let’s dive into the first 10 games of his career and compare them to some Flames greats from the past.
Recent Flames Comparisons
When stacking Zary up against some more recent Flames stars’ NHL starts, he trumps most. To begin, it should be noted that the Flames have won six of 10 games and gotten 14 out of a possible 20 points since his call-up. These numbers rank well when compared to his fellow Flames’ first-rounder peers. Take, for example, the most recently departed Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau. The two former Flames both left town for the Florida Panthers and the Columbus Blue Jackets, respectively. Tkachuk, the Flames’ sixth overall pick back in 2016, ended up playing 431 games with the franchise and currently ranks 18th all-time in points with 382. In his first 10 career contests, he netted three goals and had six total points. In addition, he put 17 shots on net and registered a plus/minus rating of plus-5, and the Flames went 4-5-1 during this time.
Gaudreau had a slower start to his Flames career despite ranking fifth all-time in franchise points. He too scored in his first career game but then only posted another goal and two assists in the next nine games. He also went plus-5, whilst only putting the puck on net a measly five times. The team did a bit better in his sample size, going 5-4-1. The only glaring difference between Zary, Gaudreau, and Tkachuk other than stats is opportunity. Tkachuk had Gaudreau and Micheal Ferland ahead of him at left wing when he broke in and played an average of just 12:20 per night. Gaudreau got a top-line audition most nights but averaged 14:05 in his first 10 matches. Zary has taken his opportunity from rookie head coach Ryan Huska and run with it, earning a respectable 15:36 per night thus far.
Comparing Zary to Greatness
Going back further in history, Zary’s first handful of games still look respectable next to that of Flames legends. Why not start with the most illustrious player to ever don the flaming ‘C’? After Jarome Iginla’s draft rights were traded to the Flames via the Dallas Stars, he played two playoff games in the 1995-96 season, scoring two points. We’re looking at regular-season debuts here, however. In his first game in the following season, he ironically also scored his first regular-season goal. In the following nine games, he recorded three goals, and four assists, and totaled 19 shots on goal. The Flames went 6-4 during this time. “Iggy” finished his rookie season with 21 goals and 50 points in 82 games and went on to play 15 more seasons with the Flames, retiring as the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, goals, and assists.
Another Flames great to compare to is Theoren Fleury, who got his start in the team’s heyday of the late 1980s. He got into 36 games with the team in the 1988-89 season, totaling 34 points. Despite his small stature and being an eighth-round draft pick, he fit in immediately during his first 10 games. Fleury scored three times and added six assists to match Zary’s numbers of today. Fleury put the puck on net more, with 19 shots just like Iginla. The Flames team was a powerhouse during this time and went 6-3-1 through Fleury’s stretch. They went on to win their only Stanley Cup in franchise history (so far) later that season. Fleury ended up just behind Iginla in most offensive categories all-time for the Flames.
Related: Flames’ Zary Continues Success At NHL Level
To conclude, we are not declaring Zary to be better than any of the other mentioned Flames players. He may or may not get to enjoy anywhere near the success of these decorated men, but we certainly hope he does. However, the goal of these comparisons was to showcase just how impressive his NHL debut season has been so far. Nine points in 10 games is a 74-point pace over a full 82-game season, which in today’s NHL is particularly outstanding. The fact that he has outscored Tkachuk, Gaudreau, and Iginla and matched Fleury’s starts should all stand as signs of good things to come for the young man. Hopefully, both his and the team’s success can be sustained.