'Take A Deep Breath'

Youth, in itself, is not considered a Hall Pass.

And while Connor Zary was a surprise scratch on Thursday in Winnipeg, Head Coach Ryan Huska wants to make one thing clear:

A punishment, this was not. 

“Players may look at it that way, but for us, we have identities, or we have ways that we expect players to play and Connor's a guy that I feel makes people around him better when he's competitive and he's controlling the puck – and the prior six games, that hasn't been there,” the skipper said.

“It's a chance for him to take a deep breath and recognize what he has to do every day and you look for the remaining games that we have and down the road, he has to have a real good grasp on that because he's going to be an important part of our team for (what's) remaining of this year and moving forward, so letting him off the hook isn't the right way to do it.”

Zary has been a revelation for the Flames this season, putting up 29 points (12G, 17A) in 48 games, through Feb. 24. But after suffering an upper-body injury that took him out of commission from March 4 through 18, the 22-year-old has only one assist in his last eight spins. 

His point total still puts him in the Top 10 in rookie scoring, but after setting the bar so high earlier in the season, Huska is keen on holding him to that standard, now, as one of the Flames’ key drivers offensively. 

“I want (the last seven games) to look like his first game,” Huska said. “So, when he comes and plays the game, I want him to have an energy and an enthusiasm about him and a level of compete that is starting to set himself apart from other players. Since he's come back from his injury, I think he's been a step behind. (Thursday) was a chance for him to reset and have a good understanding of where has to go for his last number of games here.

“Connor's different than some others because he's been with us all year. We have an expectation of where his game can be at. We have a good understanding of what he's capable of bringing to the table for our team, so that's what we expect from him all the time. So, when it slips, we want to make sure he realizes it and gets himself back on track right away.”

With seven games left on the schedule, you can bet Zary will slide back into the rotation for Saturday’s Battle of Alberta.

And when the puck drops against their Pacific rivals, Huska expects to see the same desperation that made him one of the league’s top rookies.

"I want (the last seven games) to look like his first game," Huska said. "So, when he comes and plays the game, I want him to have an energy and an enthusiasm about him and a level of compete that is starting to set himself apart from other players. Since he's come back from his injury, I think he's been a step behind. (Thursday) was a chance for him to reset and have a good understanding of where has to go for his last number of games here.

“Yeah, we're in the playoffs right now. But I don't believe in giving free games to people just because they're young. What type of messaging, or lesson are they learning along the way? If you want to see how games should be played, you look at someone like MacKenzie Weegar right now. He's playing every game like it's his last game.

“That's the expectation we have for all of our players. Just because they're young or someone that's up and coming, should not be a reason why they're getting games.

“They should deserve the games.”