- The Canucks are one of the teams interested in a Connor Zary trade
- Calgary doesn’t want to use its last salary retention slot on him
- Read below for why the contract is the sticking point
The Vancouver Canucks are in on Connor Zary.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that Vancouver is one of the teams interested in a trade for the Flames forward, though nothing looks close.
Check out Friedman’s Saturday headlines segment:
The sticking point is money. Zary carries a $3.775 million cap hit through 2027-28, and Friedman said Calgary has no interest in using its one remaining salary retention slot on him. That takes the easiest way to move the contract off the table.
Zary hit the waiver wire last week and went unclaimed, a sign teams like the player more than the contract. He was assigned to the Calgary Wranglers and scored in his AHL debut.
Calgary has shopped him since the summer. The Flames reportedly wanted a second-round pick in June and found no takers, and they were already fielding calls on Zary earlier this month. Friedman said a deal would have to get creative if Calgary keeps the full salary, which could mean taking back a player with an unwanted contract of his own.
Vancouver is an interesting match on paper. Both clubs are rebuilding, and the Canucks have lineup spots to hand out. Zary could push Drew O’Connor for the third-line center job or compete with Paul Cotter on the wing.
The 25-year-old scored 14 goals and 34 points in 63 games as a rookie in 2023-24 and hasn’t matched that since. The Flames are 0-5 and have little reason to rush a trade just to clear cap space.
