On December 17th, the Calgary Flames resigned depth defenceman Brayden Pachal. Calgary still has a lot contracts to deal with in the near future. The Flames currently have 8 pending unrestricted Free Agents they need to focus on from an asset management perspective. However, none of those 8 UFA’s are nearly as important as their pending RFA’s.
Two Key Flames RFA’s Need To Be Signed
Calgary has four players who will become Restricted Free Agents at the end of this season. Of those four, three of them look like they could be core parts of the Flames rebuild. In terms of forwards, Connor Zary and Matthew Coronato have become important top-nine players for Calgary. Let’s take a closer look at each of these pending RFA’s and what their next contracts could look like.
Connor Zary – 23 years old – Centre
The first of the Flames RFA’s has been their best asset. Connor Zary has arguably been Calgary’s best forward this season. He broke into the NHL last season recording 34 points in 63 games with the Flames, and earning a full time spot in the Flames top nine. This season he’s found a way to become more important to the Flames franchise. Zary currently sits third on the Flames in scoring with 7 goals and 18 points. More importantly to the stats however is the way he plays and his newfound position.
Last year Zary spent his entire NHL season playing on the wing. Zary, however, made the move to centre for the Flames on November 15th against Nashville, and he’s remained there since. Zary is proving he can play centre in this league. The extra responsibility of playing centre doesn’t appear to be taking away from Zary’s ability to create offence. Most nights Zary is one of the Flames’ most dynamic players creating chances off the rush with his skill. Calgary has been lacking in centre depth for years and currently doesn’t have any centres who fit the team’s rebuild plan, with their two established centres, Mikael Backlund and Nazem Kadri already in their mid-30s. Every game Zary plays well at centre increases his value for the Flames.
Zary’s Next Contract
Connor Zary is quickly becoming one of the Flames’ most important players, which is why they need to consider resigning him sooner rather than later. In the NHL, centremen typically have greater value than wingers, which means the longer Zary plays down the middle, the more expensive his contract could become. On top of that, Calgary could move out some veterans at this year’s trade deadline, which will create more opportunities for Zary and could increase his production. With these factors in mind, the Flames should look to resign Zary sooner rather than later. Based on comparables around the league of young players signing long-term, it looks like Zary could be in line for an 8-year contract in the 7-million-dollar range. The longer the Flames wait to resign Zary, the more expensive he could become.
Matthew Coronato – 22 years old – Right wing
The second of the Flames RFA’s has been a special talent. Very similar to Connor Zary, Coronato is quickly becoming one of the Flames’ most important forwards. Matthew Coronato left Harvard early to join the Flames. Coronato came to Calgary with a lot of hype around his ability to score goals and create offence. He showed flashes early, but in his first professional season, Coronato proved he needed more time to develop. After a short stint in the AHL this season, Coronato has proven he’s ready for the NHL and has become a key contributor for the Flames. Coronato currently sits 4th in Flames scoring this season with 8 goals and 8 assists. He’s quickly becoming incredibly valuable for Calgary.
Matthew Coronato has always had a very strong shot and natural goal-scoring ability. This ability makes him very desirable to the Calgary Flames who don’t have any true consistent scorers on their current roster. Last season, Yegor Sharangovich broke out scoring 31 goals, and looked like he could be one of the Flames’ future scorers. However, he’s struggled this season, making the emergence of Coronato more important. Coronato has improved his skating and 200-foot game since last season and it’s helping him become more than just a player with a good shot. He’s using his skating ability to help him create time and space for himself as well as being a willing forechecker. He’s shown he doesn’t shy away from contact and can hold his own in this league physically. Coronato has shown he can be counted on to play top-nine minutes every night, and his future looks bright.
Coronato’s Next Contract
If Coronato’s recent success continues, so will his price tag. Again, similar to Zary, Calgary is likely to move out some players this trade deadline, which should increase Coronato’s opportunity to produce. Coronato’s next contract could go one of two ways, either a bridge deal or long-term. Based on his time in the league and his production thus far, he could be looking at an 8-year extension just below what it would cost to resign Zary. The Flames may want to opt for more flexibility moving forward and sign Coronato to a bridge contract. Typically this means the contract would have a slightly higher AAV with fewer years. Recent trends suggest that teams prefer to lock up young players to long-term deals rather than opt for a bridge deal and risk a more expensive contract down the road.
RFA’s A Priority Moving Forward
The Flames RFA’s need to be a priority. Whatever route Calgary looks to go with Coronato and Zary, one thing is clear. These two players have become important parts of this team. Their importance on the ice is mirrored off it, and Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy needs to focus on locking these two players up sooner rather than later.
Main Photo: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
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