The Toronto Maple Leafs have the perfect chance to add some much-needed centre depth by adding Connor Zary, who was waived by the Calgary Flames on Monday.
On Monday, the Calgary Flames made a pretty bold roster move by waiving former first-round pick Connor Zary. The 25-year-old had one assist in two games this season, with a minus-2 in 13:38 TOI.
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Connor Zary hits waivers for the winless Flames
For his career, Zary has 39 goals and 87 points in 193 games (all with the Flames) with his best season coming in his rookie year where he had 14 goals and 34 points - finishing eight in Calder votes in 2023-24.
It's a bit surprising to see that the Flames are giving up a bit early on Zary especially since he's been a solid piece of the lineup for the past three seasons, though after a dismal showing to start the season - the team may be in panic mode already.
He's known for having a fantastic shot, and though he hasn't exploded offensively, averaging 13 goals isn't too shabby, and he's more than serviceable in the face-off dot. He's not as physical as some other centres given his smaller stature, but he's able to quickly sift through defenders with ease.
Zary solves an immediate problem for the Maple Leafs
While Zary isn't a superstar centre, he does solve an immediate need for the Maple Leafs down the middle. Time is seemingly catching up to John Tavares and he has not been a good solution minus his elite face-off metrics.
Zary has elite possession numbers and he's the type of person who can benefit and finish from Gavin McKenna but also have the playmaking to benefit William Nylander. Plus as someone who constantly finds himself with the puck, he'd open up a lot more scoring chances.
And at only 25 he's still coming into his prime and with the team looking towards the future with McKenna, Easton Cowan, and Kirill Marchenko - adding Zary could round things out nicely.
He's also the perfect cap fit for the Maple Leafs as he costs pretty much the same as Max Domi, and is signed for this season and the next - matching up with the win-now timeline that Toronto has set up for themselves.
If the Maple Leafs want to claim Zary, they will have 24 hours to do so, as long as the other teams ahead of them don't push for him first.
Should the Maple Leafs claim Connor Zary off waivers?
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