Yegor Sharangovich has been one of the most intriguing youngsters in the NHL for a few years now. Before the trade that sent him to the Flames from New Jersey, which saw pending unrestricted free agent Tyler Toffoli to the Devils, he looked a shell of his potential. It was evident that he had talent but for whatever reason, the Devils were just not able to bring that potential out.
In his rookie season just a few years ago, he turned heads. He managed 30 points over 54 games with the Devils. He followed that season up in 2021-22 with even better numbers, including 24 goals and 22 assists. However, this guy goes beyond the numbers because he is a noticeable talent when he's on the ice. His release is comparable to any of the elite scorers in this league, coupled with his skating ability puts him at another level than your typical NHLer. This is why last season's performance was so disappointing. In the 2022-23 NHL season with the New Jersey Devils, everyone was expecting Yegor to take the next step to become the elite goal scorer that fans and the coaching staff knew he could become. Sadly, that expectation would not come to fruition, as Yegor posted his worst season to date.
Even though his potential was still noticeable, his numbers were poor and his confidence was shaken in a diminished role with the Devils he only managed 13 goals and 30 points through 75 games, which is 21 extra games than he played in his rookie season but the same amount of points, and three fewer goals. The feeling was that Sharangovich would benefit greatly from a change of scenery following this season, especially considering how little space New Jersey has for a project player considering their young, talented, playoff-hopeful roster.
Luckily for Yegor, the Flames were very keen on making this happen for him in the 2023 offseason. They coughed up a star winger in Tyler Toffoli for Sharangovich plus a 2023 3rd-round pick. At the time, this seemed like an outright win for the Devils, no questions asked. Toffoli had just been coming off a career year in Calgary, he was their best offensive player, as he scored 34 goals and added 39 assists for 73 points. Even though Toffoli might hit the open market come July 1st, renting Toffoli for a full season at this cost was a steal for Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald.
On a related topic, this move hasn't gone badly for New Jersey by any means. Toffoli currently has 29 points in 41 games, definitely an upgrade over last year's version of Yegor Sharangovich. In hindsight, Devils fans and staff are probably stung a little bit by the youngster's meteoric rise to stardom in Calgary, however, if they can get Toffoli re-signed, it would sting much less.
Yegor has been amazing with Calgary, and last night was no exception, as he won the Flames the game in overtime with his drag release, lasered right by Conor Ingram's left shoulder. He is on pace for career-best numbers across the board, projecting 34 goals and 58 points in 82 games. The Flames are winners of four straight, and he has been instrumental over this stretch, scoring six goals including a hat trick against Arizona on January 11th. Sharangovich's 31 points are third-best on his team, only behind Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri, not to mention his 18 goals so far this year are second-best, only losing out to Blake Coleman's 20.
The future for this kid looks very bright. I look forward to seeing the young Belarusian sniper become a star forward for the Flames for years to come. The question going forward is how good can Yegor become, and can he and the Flames pull themselves back into a playoff spot by March?
Such a great find for Calgary