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Sharangovich continuing to give the Flames nothing of value

Yegor Sharangovich, Calgary Flames (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

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Sharangovich continuing to give the Flames nothing of value

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Nov 13, 2026 3:24 PM ET

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Aside from a miserable start, the Calgary Flames have outperformed expectations early on in this 2026-27 season. Expected to be in the hunt with the Vancouver Canucks for last place in the NHL, they instead sit just four points out of a playoff spot with an unremarkable yet respectable 8-10-1 record.

The Flames have been able to be competitive thanks to strong play from the likes of Joel Farabee, Matt Coronato, and Matvei Gridin up front. The play of Adam Klapka, mainly in a bottom-six role, also can’t be overlooked. On the back end, Kevin Bahl was every bit as good as expected before suffering a season-ending injury, while Zayne Parekh has taken a big step forward. In between the pipes, Devin Cooley has been nothing short of exceptional.

Despite some positives, however, there have been some who have disappointed, as well. Dustin Wolf has struggled more often than not through his nine starts. Jake Middleton hasn’t been the acquisition fans had hoped. That said, there has been no bigger disappointment than Yegor Sharangovich, even if there wasn’t a ton of expectation for him going in.

Sharangovich Continuing to Be a Non-Factor

Sharangovich struggled so much in both 2024-25 and 2025-26 that he wasn’t much of a talking point whatsoever heading into the 2026-27 campaign. His play has completely fallen off a cliff since signing a five-year, $28.75 million deal. That extension was offered his way after he scored 31 goals in his first season with the Flames.

The one concern with Sharangovich, even in that 31-goal campaign, was that he didn’t seem to impact games in many ways other than finding the back of the net. That said, it didn’t seem to be a huge deal at the time given that he was filling the back of the net with ease in 2023-24. Now, fans are seeing what he provides, or the lack thereof, when he isn’t scoring.

Sharangovich put up a combined 61 points over the past two seasons. That in and of itself is disappointing given his $5.75 million cap hit. And, as already mentioned, he fails to impact the game in any sort of way when he’s not scoring.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing with Sharangovich is his lack of compete on a game-to-game basis. It’s not that he’s lazy, but more so that he doesn’t have any sort of bite to his game. His complete lack of physicality makes him very easy to knock off pucks, and if there’s a 50/50 puck battle, he seems to come out on the losing end every single time. That in itself has played a part as to why he’s struggled the past few seasons to find the back of the net.

The good news for the Flames is that they are still in the early stages of a rebuild meaning that Sharangovich’s cap hit isn’t causing any sort of issue. They would likely move him in a second if another team showed interest, but it isn’t a major issue having him on the roster like it could be for several other teams. That, however, doesn’t mean he needs to continue to be a regular in the lineup going forward.

Sharangovich Could Be Odd-Man Out When Flames Get Healthy

Early on this season, head coach Ryan Huska hasn’t had a ton of options when it comes to his lineup. Sam Honzek has been limited to just four games due to injury, while Jonathan Huberdeau is yet to suit up. That said, both could be back in the lineup in the near future.

Huberdeau is ramping things up after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery last spring, and is expected to return in the coming weeks. Honzek, meanwhile, has been cleared to return to play, but has been assigned to the Calgary Wranglers in order to get back up to speed. It’s likely he will only spend a few games in the American Hockey League (AHL) before rejoining the Flames.

Calgary Flames forward Yegor Sharangovich checks Vancouver Canucks goalie Leevi Merilainen (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

Once Huberdeau and Honzek both return, Huska will have more flexibility when it comes to sitting down players who are struggling. Sharangovich certainly falls into that category, and if he isn’t able to ramp things up over the next week or two, he could find himself watching some games from the press box as a healthy scratch.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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