Flames GM Craig Conroy: “Kevin Bahl and Yegor Sharangovich Have Been Great For Us”

The Calgary Flames are off to a surprising start. Not too many people thought the Flames would be in this position to begin the year with a record 8-6-3 in the Pacific Division. Flames general manager Craig Conroy has done an excellent job over the past couple of seasons acquiring talent to help accelerate his rebuild or retool on the fly, as he likes to call it.

If you look at Conroy’s moves over the last two seasons, he has brought in players to help the Flames get younger but remain competitive under head coach Ryan Huska. Two players in particular are former Devils Yegor Sharangovich and Kevin Bahl.

Yegor Sharangovich Thriving in Calgary

Sharangovich was acquired in the summer of 2023 in a trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to the Devils, and Bahl was acquired in June 2024 as part of the package that sent Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey. Both players are finding opportunities and playing significant roles, as Conroy told Full Press Hockey.

“I thought Sharangovich had a great year,” Conroy told Full Press Hockey. “Of course, last year, obviously, we signed him for another five years, because of what he brought with his age, his offensive abilities, and to have 30 goals last year, obviously, we’re disappointed he got hurt in the last four games of the preseason, so it’s been a little bit of a slow start just coming back from the injury. We really couldn’t have asked for more from Sharangovich, from what we were hoping to get to what we got. It is exactly, I think, what we talked about at the draft you’re hoping for, and we definitely got it.” 

Full Press Hockey was pleased to speak with the Flames general manager on Day 2 of the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas. Sharangovich scored 30 goals for the Flames last season. As Conroy mentioned, he is on a good contract for another five seasons, a total of $28.75 million with an AAV of $5.750 million.

It is all about an opportunity for Sharangovich. He would not get this kind of top-six opportunity with the Devils. Maybe he would have with Sheldon Keefe, but he is finding his role with the Flames. He was a sneaky good add for Craig Conroy and the Flames.

Kevin Bahl Has Been Everything and More for Calgary

As far as Kevin Bahl goes, he is finding a role as a shutdown defenseman paired with Rasmus Andersson.

“With Kevin, we were looking for a bigger defenseman, someone to play with Andersson on that left side. A little bit of a shutdown guy,” Conroy told Full Press Hockey. “And he’s been excellent for us. He really has come in, and he’s played a ton of minutes in all kinds of situations. Really good. Penalty kill, shut down, shut down a lot of the top guys on other teams, and just five a little offense too. But I think what we need in that size to clear guys out in front of the net. He’s a real, really good job, and a kind of a top-four setting for him. So I couldn’t be more happy to get Kevin, either.” 

New Jersey Devils: Devils Mailbag: How is the Team Adjusting to Sheldon Keefe?

Calgary Flames: Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy Continues To Execute

When the Devils acquired Bahl from Arizona as part of the Taylor Hall trade, New Jersey was molding him into a big and physical defenseman who could move players in front of the net.

“In your mind, you think this is going to work, and sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t, but we really thought, with how Rasmus wants to play and the way Kevin can play, we thought it’d be interesting. It’s been better than we thought,” Craig said to Full Press Hockey. “I think it’s just they read off each other, the way they support each other, and it allows Rasmus to get offensive a little more, and Kevin can kind of be defensive and physical. Kevin has been more physical than we thought.” 

But then, the shock of the trade came for Bahl. However, the Devils were revamping and upgrading their blueline to be more competitive and win now. Like with Sharangovich, it was unclear under Sheldon Keefe or another head coach if Bahl was going to get this top-four role in New Jersey. He is in Calgary.

“I think we acquired Kevin; when we did, I told him it was a shock for him, but what I told him was there’s gonna be a great opportunity. You’re gonna get an opportunity maybe to play more minutes, to play in a little bit bigger role,” Conroy told Full Press Hockey. “We really think that’s gonna be something in our mind, is how it’s gonna work with us here at Calgary. I think he liked the idea. Again, he got hurt in training, and he didn’t really get to play.”

If you look at the deals Conroy has made, bringing in Sharangovich and Bahl, he has added to the pipeline. He Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick along with Kevin Bahl and Artem Grushniko.

Conroy is looking to improve his club and get another age-appropriate player.

“You’re always looking to fill the holes, or to make trades,” Conroy told Full Press Hockey. “Find guys, something you don’t have on your team, and maybe you don’t have in your pipeline.”

It will not be easy for Craig Conroy to do that, even though he has the Devils first-round pick to use. But he will look to get players like Yegor Sharangovich and Kevin Bahl, who have been excellent additions to the Calgary Flames.