Flames' Sharangovich struggling to adapt with new team
Yegor Sharangovich’s tenure with the Calgary Flames hasn’t gotten off to the start he would have liked.
Sharangovich was involved in a big trade this summer that saw the New Jersey Devils ship him along with a third-round pick to the Flames in exchange for Tyler Toffoli. It was a big price for the Flames to pay given that Toffoli led their team in scoring last season, but general manager Craig Conroy clearly had high hopes for the Russian forward.
During his three seasons with the Devils, Sharangovich was a player who was known to have an extremely high skillset but could disappear for games at a time. Flames fans hoped that the change of scenery, paired with what was expected to be more ice time, would allow the 25-year-old to reach his full potential. That hasn’t been the case.
While the season is still only four games in, Sharangovich has been largely unnoticeable with his new team thus far, logging just one assist. Even more concerning is his usage, as he has spent time on the fourth line and has had less than 13 minutes of ice time in each of his past two games. He has also not been used on the power play, an area of which many believed he could excel in this season.
The good news is that despite Sharangovich’s struggles in the early going, the Flames have still gotten off to a relatively good start at 2-1-1. Elias Lindholm, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Andrew Mangiapane all sit at a point-per-game pace or better through their first four games, indicating that all three may very well be in store for a bounce-back season.
Sharangovich will have an opportunity to turn things around tonight, as he and the Flames are set to face off against Johnny Gaudreau and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Puck drop is set for 5 pm MT.