We’ll see how it turns out but I could see the motivation for Zary’s camp especially wanting 3 years.
1. Gives him an opportunity to prove himself (stay healthy and keep developing on pace to be a top 6 forward)
2. Gives him the flexibility to assess his opportunity in Calgary. He likely wants to play a big role (top six forward and ideally a center) to maximize his value. The coaching staff have gone through ebbs and flows with his usage and it seems like they see him more as a winger. If he feels like he’s not getting the right opportunities in the next 3 years, he can choose to sign a 1 year deal at the end of this contract or request a trade. It’s really not clear yet how much opportunity he’ll get this year or even next year because the team has so many forwards and coaches tend to prefer deferring to vets in centre roles rather than deal with the growing pains of young centers. He may not get a chance to be a top 3 center unless other players get injured or traded.
Ultimately, it could work out great for both sides though. Zary may find comfort playing wing and have a great 2 years and choose to sign a long term deal. Calgary will likely be happy to pay him what he is worth if he stays healthy and gets significant minutes.
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