Latest On Yegor Sharangovich

As the NHL’s March 6 trade deadline inches closer, one of the teams that looks overwhelmingly likely to count themselves as one of the league’s sellers is the Calgary Flames. Calgary has struggled in a variety of areas this season, and does not appear to have a clear path to the playoffs.

While significant attention has been paid to a few of the Flames’ key trade chips, such as veteran center Nazem Kadri, some have wondered whether other Flames players beyond just a few older veterans could be moved.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported last week that while Flames forward Yegor Sharangovich has been named as a trade candidate by some, he does “not get the sense there is any activity surrounding the 27-year-old.” Unless something changes, it appears the Flames won’t be dealing Sharangovich before the trade deadline.

The Russian forward had been named as a trade candidate in large part due to his offensive struggles over the last season and a half. Sharangovich broke out in his first year with the Flames, scoring 31 goals and 59 points in the 2023-24 season. Looking to ensure they had team control over Sharangovich as he inched closer to UFA status, the Flames acted early, signing Sharangovich to a contract extension on July 1, 2024.

At this moment, it appears the Flames might regret acting so decisively to re-sign Sharangovich. At the time, signing him to that extension at that moment was an entirely defensible calculated risk.

The Flames likely believed that if he could at the very least sustain his level of production, the deal would be an entirely fair one. If he could build on it, he would quickly provide surplus value on his cap hit. If Calgary believed Sharangovich was unlikely to decline too far from his scoring numbers in his debut season as a Flame, signing that deal at that point made too much sense — his price tag would only rise as he got closer to UFA status.

But unfortunately for the Flames, his offensive production declined the following year, going from the aforementioned 31 goals and 59 points to just 17 goals and 32 points. So far this season, that decline has persisted, as he has 11 goals and 20 points in 50 games.

While the expected steep rise of the salary cap softens the blow, without question, it’s clear Sharangovich isn’t living up to his $5.75MM cap hit, at least from a production standpoint.

Given his offensive decline and the contract he’s owed (2025-26 is the first of five seasons on the contract), it’s understandable that those in the Calgary market might want to see the Flames move on from Sharangovich. But his difficulty getting back to his prior level of offensive production, combined with the weight of his contract, makes him a difficult player to move. That’s a sentiment Pagnotta’s report echoed, and it’s also worth noting that Sharangovich’s deal comes with the protection of a 10-team no-trade list.

With limited league interest in trading for his services, Sharangovich’s best path forward will, undoubtedly, be to find a way to develop more chemistry with some of the Flames’ other top-six forwards.

It’s not as though Sharangovich is lacking in terms of opportunity, as he’s averaging 16:04 time on ice per game including 1:52 per game on the power play. He just hasn’t been able to capitalize the way he did in his debut season in Alberta.

As the Flames chart their course back to contention at some point down the line, getting Sharangovich’s scoring back on track will have to be a key priority.

Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images