In this edition of Calgary Flames News & Rumors, the worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided regarding Connor Zary’s injury. In other news, Rory Kerins was recently recalled from the American Hockey League (AHL) and made the most of his NHL debut on Monday night. Meanwhile, Dustin Wolf’s strong season has continued, and has him in the running for the Calder Trophy. Last but not least, Jonathan Huberdeau is regaining his old form.
Zary Injury Not as Bad as Initially Thought
Flames fans watching last week’s game versus the Anaheim Ducks were sick to their stomachs after watching Zary writhing in pain after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Drew Helleson. The Flames forward went down in a heap and laid on the ice for several minutes before eventually being helped down the tunnel.
Related: 4 Flames Who Need to Step Up in Connor Zary’s Absence
Based on how much pain he was in, many expected this injury to be season-ending. That doesn’t appear to be the case, however, as there was no ligament damage in Zary’s knee. A further update has yet to be released, but it sounds as though he will be able to return at some point this season. That’s great news for the Flames, as the 23-year-old has been one of their most productive players with 10 goals and 22 points through 40 games.
Kerins Has Remarkable Debut
Flames fans have been begging the team to call up Kerins for quite some time, and they got their wish on Saturday (Jan. 11) . The 22-year-old was deserving of the call-up, as his 21 goals were leading the AHL. It’s been quite the rise for a player who was in the ECHL just two seasons ago.
Kerins strength is his offensive play, and that was on display in his NHL debut on Monday (Jan. 13) versus the Chicago Blackhawks. He was able to record assists on two goals from Jakob Pelletier, and created several more opportunities in his 15 minutes of ice time. If he keeps this up, his time in the AHL may be done and over with.
Wolf Playing Outstanding Hockey
Wolf entered the 2024-25 season as the player Flames fans were most excited about. The young goaltender has been a highly-touted prospect for several years, in large part due to his domination at the AHL level. He won the Goalie of the Year award in each of his first two AHL seasons, and also picked up the AHL MVP in 2022-23.
Wolf has continued that dominance into his rookie season. He’s appeared in 23 games, posting a 15-6-2 record along with a 2.50 goals-against average (GAA) and a .916 save percentage (SV%). Many expected his rookie season to be full of highs and lows, but it’s been almost all highs thus far. While winning the Calder Trophy in a class that features some elite talent such as Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson may be tough, he’s certainly deserving of being a top-three finalist.
Huberdeau Back on Track
Huberdeau entered the 2024-25 season as an afterthought, but is proving that he still has plenty of game left. Fans held their breath hoping for a bounce back in 2023-24 after an ugly first season with the Flames, but that failed to be the case, as he managed just 12 goals and 52 points through 81 games. This season, it’s been a much different story.
Related: 5 Leading Candidates for the Jack Adams Award Halfway Through 2024-25
Huberdeau is already up to 18 goals just 43 games in, putting him on pace for what would be a career-high 34. He may never get back to being the 100-point player we saw from him with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22, but this is a far better player than fans in Calgary figured they would get throughout the remainder of his contract. He’s been a huge reason why the Flames have had so much success so far this season.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
The Flames have two games remaining in what is a four-game road trip, the first of which will come against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. They will then take on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, before returning home for a game the following Thursday against the lowly Buffalo Sabres.
