Players, coaches, and fans can take comfort in the fact that forward Connor Zary avoided the worst, but still will be a long way away from returning to the ice.

The Calgary Flames announced on Friday afternoon that Zary has avoided the need for surgery following his injury against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.

Zary, 23, left the game against the Ducks in the second period following a knee-on-knee collision with Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson. Helleson received a five-minute major penalty on the play but no further discipline was received. Zary, who took a while to get up, was unable to put any weight on his leg and had to be assisted off the ice by his teammates and down the tunnel to the locker room by the Flames’ medical staff.

While Zary will not require surgery for his lower-body injury, he will remain out indefinitely as he undergoes rehabilitation immediately. This morning, it was announced that Zary was placed on injured reserve, allowing Rory Kerins to be called up.

The positive news for both Zary and the Flames is that he can start working towards getting healthy again but it’s a huge loss nonetheless for a team that is right in the middle of a wild card race halfway through the season.

Zary, in his second season in the NHL, has emerged as one of the Flames’ top players this season and has contributed a lot to the Flames offence with 10 goals and 22 points through 40 games this season. His 10 goals are good for the third most on the Flames and his 22 points are tied for third-most with defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.

The hole Zary leaves is a big one considering his contribution as well as the different roles he plays, leaving a gap at center as well as on the power play.