'They're Getting Closer'

The injury bug … bites.

But for the first time in months, the wounds are (nearly) healed and two of the Flames’ most impactful players are on the cusp of a return.

Connor Zary and Kevin Bahl were both on the ice Tuesday at WinSport, showing no ill effects and taking regular line rushes, following a nine-day respite for the club.

“They're getting closer,” offered Head Coach Ryan Huska after practice, who said the enthusiasm from his group had a real first-day-of-school vibe throughout the vigorous, 45-minute skate. “They have to continue to make steps and strides along the way, so this was a really good day for them, from what I understand. We’ll talk to our medical guys afterwards and hopefully they can keep developing with us and they're going be ready to go, is our hope.”

Ditto for the players, who both flashed a wide smile as they took their first turns in a full team practice in what felt like forever.

“You do a lot of stuff alone when you're injured, or with a couple other injured guys,” Zary said. “But to mix in and just have fun again and be out there with the guys is always awesome.”

“It felt good to finally get back out there with the boys and just kind of be humming again,” added Bahl. “It was kind of a blessing in disguise with how it ended up unfolding (with the timing of the 4 Nations break), just because I can get back to 100% and jump in with them instead of, you know, having to maybe not come in and not be back to 100%.

“Today’s the first day in the road to get back.”

If everything goes according to plan, both could return on Sunday when the Flames play their first game in more than two weeks, hosting the San Jose Sharks in the team’s annual Black History Celebration game at the Scotiabank Saddledome, as the playoff race continues.

Bahl’s injury happened on Jan. 25 when he was hit from behind by Minnesota forward Jakub Lauko – a play that earned only a minor penalty, despite being delivered square in the numbers. Bahl, who has 14 points (2G, 12A) and has averaged more than 21 minutes per game, has missed all eight games since.

Zary, meanwhile, suffered a frightening knee injury on Jan. 7 in Anaheim. He has 10 goals and 22 points this season, and was beginning to show real promise down the middle before his collision with Ducks blueliner Drew Helleson took him out of the commission for the past 15 games.

For Zary, there was a point the immediate aftermath when he wasn’t even sure if he would lace up his skates again this season, let alone, so soon.

The open-ice collision was so violent – and the pain his eyes, so visceral – that those in the building that night (including his mother, Kathleen, who was on hand for the Mom’s Trip) had a hard time seeing past a worst-case scenario.

Worse, he was forced to wait a few days before an official diagnosis could be made because the swelling on his knee prevented imaging from properly assessing the damage.

“It was definitely scary,” Zary recalled. “I think it takes a toll on you mentally, you know? I think when it first happens, especially in that first 24 hours, you just expect the worst, and that's all you really think about. Obviously, kind of pros and cons of having your mom there. It was it was it was good to have her there with me, but it sucked that she had to be there to watch it.

“But I think it’s just a fast sport and things like that happen. You never want to be injured, you never want to be out, but I guess my parents fed me well when I was a kid, so I got lucky.

“I think after the first few days, things started to settle down and I felt a lot better – in my mind, and in my body, so it was good.

“Once I got that the good news from Doc (Team Physician David Manning) and (Head Therapist/Sports Physiotherapist) Kent (Kobelka) and the other guys that things were looking positive, I think that brought a lot of happiness back into things, knowing that I could have something to look forward to, things to work at, and just strengthening and getting better in the gym to come back even better.”

The 23-year-old skated on left wing, alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, at Tuesday’s practice. With the addition of Morgan Frost during his absence, the Flames now have a deeper cast with which to experiment at the pivot position.

But regardless of where he lines up long term, Zary’s impact on the offensive side cannot be understated.

Without him, the Flames have had significantly less firepower at their disposal in the forward ranks.

And without Bahl, Rasmus Andersson lost his season-long partner, and a true minute-muncher that’s thrived in a shutdown role this year.

“They're important pieces of our team,” Huska said. “We often talk about certain players a lot … But Connor, he was quietly putting together a really good year where he became an important piece of our offensive game, for sure,

“And Kevin … Underrated.

“He was pleasant surprise for us when he came over in the trade and he's done so many good things for us that he gave us some real strong depth on our back end. So, we've missed him, without a doubt, while he was gone and it's nice to having him back on the ice.”