Flame News and Rumors: Zary, Andersson, Weegar, etc. – Hockey Writer – Calgary Flames
In this week’s Calgary Fire News and Rumors, Connor Zary finally signed a bridge deal before the 2025-26 season. Meanwhile, the fan base and the organization themselves continue to wait for the Rasmus Andersson trade. In other news, Mackenzie Weegar is motivated to have the best season of his career and crack the Canadian Olympic squad. Last but not least, former flame Derek Ryan announced his retirement.
Zary and Flames agree to extension
Given that we are now in September, it is starting to worry that Flame and Zary have not yet reached a contract. But that concern has now disappeared, as the 23-year-old agreed to a three-year, $11.3 million deal with a cap of $3.775 million.
This is a very reasonable deal for both sides, as it gives Zary the opportunity to prove that he can be a true top six, and the Flames can better understand what type of player he is. The 2020 first-round draft pick appeared in 57 games last season, and he was second in the NHLER, scoring 13 goals and 27 points. Now that his signing is no longer there, Flames will sign in the upcoming season.
Anderson continues to wait for trade
In the offseason, it became very obvious that the flames would trade Anderson. When is the question? There are some beliefs that can be done in the summer, but this seems unlikely. Instead, the group seems to hope that he can start the 2025-26 season with a steady start to help increase his trade value.
Related: Fire News and Rumors: Zary, Andersson, Lowry
Although Andersson is not suitable for the long-term plan of the flame, he will provide it to many other organizations. Still only 28, he is a right-handed shooter and is the top four defensive player for every Stanley Cup contender in the NHL. General Manager Craig Conroy is obviously waiting patiently to receive a package he thought was worthy of Swedish Blueliner.
Weegar aims to crack Canada’s lineup
Vegal was one of 42 players to the Canadian Olympic Welcoming Camp in Calgary in late August after being rejected in four Canadian national confrontation squads. It’s a good recognition for a real elite defensive player since joining the Flames before the 2022-23 season.
“I want that team to be super bad, I think if I were the player I was going to make that team, I think I would help Calgary’s flames,” Weegar said in a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Eric Francis.
The 31-year-old Weegar, who scored a career-high 20 goals in 2023-24, came from the 2024-25 campaign, which led him to score eight goals and 47 points in 81 games. He plays for the flames in all situations because he is more than just a producer in the back end. Cracking the Olympic squad is not an easy task, but if he can perform well, even better than the last two seasons, he should have a good shot.
Derek Ryan announces retirement
Despite a lot of speculation at the end of the 2024-25 season, it took Ryan some time to officially announce his retirement from the NHL last week. It was a very impressive career for the 38-year-old, although it didn’t make it to 606 NHL games until the age of 29.
Related: The flames’ playoff fate can be decided by November
Ryan started his NHL career before joining the Flames before the 2018-19 game. He went on to spend three seasons in Calgary, during which he scored 25 goals and 80 points in 192 games while playing the bottom six. After leaving the flames, he spent four seasons with the Edmonton Oilers before officially hanging on his skates.
Looking forward to the flame
Hockey season is coming as Flames’ prospects face the Edmonton Oilers on Friday and Sunday. The first of the two games will be held in Edmonton, while the second will be held in Saddledome. Meanwhile, when pre-season hockey begins, the flames players will return to the game later this month.
