Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary has avoided the need to undergo a surgical procedure on his knee following a collision in his team’s 3-2 overtime victory against Anaheim this week.
Zary went knee-to-knee with Ducks defenceman Drew Helleson midway through the 2nd period on Tuesday and left the ice in visible pain. Helleson was issued a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit.
Flames fans immediately feared the worst, but it would appear as though extensive rehab will be all that’s required in order for the talented 23 year old to get back on the ice. That being said, Zary remains without a timetable to return to action.
Per Frank Seravalli, “Bit of good news on #Flames forward Connor Zary as sources say initial imaging on Thursday indicated no damage to ACL or MCL in his left knee. Still assessing injury and more medical opinion(s) required to determine exact timeline, but a couple major bullets dodged.”
Zary has 22 points (10G, 12A) across 40 games played for Calgary this season and was on track to set career highs in virtually every offensive category. The Flames placed the former 1st round pick on IR this week and recalled forward Rory Kerins.
In 34 games with the AHL’s Wranglers this season, Kerins leads the league with 21 goals, and sits second in points with 34. As a result, he was named to the AHL All-Star Classic earlier this week.
Should Kerins suit up for a game with the Flames, he’ll become the fourth player from the Flames’ 2020 draft class to play for the team joining Zary, Yan Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov. Yegor Sharangovich skated in Zary’s spot on the third line Friday between Jakob Pelletier and Andrei Kuzmenko, though Kerins figures to get a look at some point.
The Flames return to action on Saturday night when they host the Los Angeles Kings.
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.