The Calgary Flames did not lose Connor Zary or Brayden Pachal on waivers. They did, however, send both players a message that could not have been much louder.
Zary and Pachal cleared waivers Tuesday and were assigned to the Calgary Wranglers, one day after Calgary exposed them to the NHL’s other 31 teams. Their move through the wire gives the Flames roster flexibility and gives two established NHL players an unexpected assignment across town.
The timing adds weight. Calgary has home games against Colorado and Anaheim this week, so the organization is changing the supporting cast before its early skid grows. The roster now has two openings, and the next choices matter.
For Pachal, the move is about a crowded blue line and a need to play. For Zary, a 2020 first-round pick once viewed as a central piece of Calgary’s next wave, it lands with considerably more force.
The 25-year-old forward had one assist in two appearances during Calgary’s winless three-game start. He was scratched for the second game after turnovers and puck management became an early concern, then returned without changing the direction of a team outscored 16-3.
“We had a lot of guys that could have been in that category. It’s understanding the importance of taking care of the puck. Connor’s a good player. He’ll get himself right back in there,” Ryan Huska said to reporters before Zary returned to the lineup.
Instead, Zary’s next game will come in the American Hockey League.
That is a striking turn for a player who scored 14 goals and 34 points in 63 games as a rookie in 2023-24. His speed, puck skill and ability to create through the middle made him one of Calgary’s most encouraging young forwards. The expected next step never arrived cleanly. Injuries interrupted his following season, and his production levelled off at 12 goals and 25 points over 74 games last year.
Zary entered camp knowing patience was thinning.
“It’s going to be big for me to bounce back and get going right from the start,” Zary said to reporters in a training-camp interview.
The start did not deliver that bounce. Now the Wranglers offer something the NHL club could not guarantee: touches, minutes and a chance to rebuild confidence without every mistake being magnified.
His contract made the waiver gamble easier. Zary carries a $3.775-million cap hit through 2027-28, a commitment that likely discouraged a claim. Sending him down can give Calgary partial cap relief, but the larger question is developmental. The Flames must decide whether this is a short reset, an extended audition for a return, or the beginning of a separation.
Pachal’s situation is less dramatic, although hardly painless for the player. The 27-year-old defenceman played 39 games last season, recording one goal and six assists but had not dressed through Calgary’s first three games this fall.
He was claimed from the Vegas Golden Knights in February 2024 and gave the Flames a right-shot defender willing to defend hard, block shots and make opponents uncomfortable.
“The biggest thing I like to show off is that I play with an edge and make life difficult on my opponents. When I play that way consistently, that’s when I find I’m most effective,” Pachal said to reporters when he arrived in Calgary.
That identity has value, but Calgary’s defensive picture has changed. The organization needs space for younger options, while Pachal needs game action rather than another night watching from above. His $1.1875-million cap hit can be removed completely from the NHL payroll while he is in the minors.
Head coach Ryan Huska told reporters Tuesday that both players needed games and that he was pleased they remained in the organization. Clearing waivers keeps Calgary in control of what comes next.
The decision also creates room for potential recalls from the Wranglers as the Flames search for answers after an ugly opening week. It is a roster move, a cap move and a performance warning rolled together.
For Pachal, the route back is direct: play reliable, physical hockey and remain ready when Calgary needs depth.
For Zary, the stakes are heavier. He must rediscover the player who looked capable of growing with the Flames’ young core, then prove that player can survive the details demanded by an NHL coaching staff.
Nobody claimed him. That preserves Calgary’s asset, but it also shows how the league currently values his contract and trajectory.
The Wranglers assignment is not the end for either player. It is, however, an unmistakable checkpoint. Calgary has asked Zary and Pachal to earn their way back, and the response now has to come on the ice.
