Flames’ Connor Zary day-to-day with upper-body injury; Tyson Gross to debut Sunday
Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary won’t play on Sunday and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury he sustained after being hit from behind by Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer on Friday.
Flames head coach Ryan Huska provided an update on Zary’s status after the team finished its morning skate on Sunday, ruling him out from playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning that night.
In Zary’s absence, Tyson Gross will make his NHL debut against Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old center signed with the Flames as an undrafted NCAA free agent on Mar. 12 after wrapping up his junior year at St. Cloud State University.
Looks like Tyson Gross will make his NHL debut tonight vs. Tampa Bay. He's centering a line between Martin Pospisil and Adam Klapka at morning skate. The Connor Zary situation likely accelerated this debut. Here we go! #Flames
Greer is set to have a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Sunday in the wake of his actions in Friday’s game at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The 29-year-old winger was assessed 17 penalty minutes and a game misconduct after hooking and dangerously boarding Zary, his former Flames teammate, midway through the third period.
Zary, 24, has 11 goals and 24 points in 67 games with the Flames this season. A first-round pick (No. 24 overall) of the club in the 2020 NHL Draft, Zary has appeared in 184 games with the Flames over the past three seasons, collecting 38 goals and 85 points.
Gross centered the Flames’ fourth line with Martin Pospisil and Adam Klapka during morning skate on Sunday. A 6’3″ center from Calgary, Gross racked up 18 goals and 41 points in 36 games at St. Cloud State during the 2025-26 season.
After defeating the Panthers by a 4-1 final score on Friday, the Flames currently sit in seventh place in the Pacific Division and 31st in the NHL with a 28-34-7 record and 63 points in 69 games this season. They’re scheduled to take on the Lightning on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Mountain.