The Calgary Flames make two moves in advance of their game against the Winnipeg Jets

Further, the team announced today that they have placed Daniil Miromanov on waivers for assignment to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

Let’s dive into both moves

Calgary Flames scratch Yegor Sharangovich

The Flames have not been good at all to start the season, and while there are challenges up and down the lineup, Sharangovich’s struggles have been clearer and more publicly noted. This culminated in him being called out on national television by Kevin Bieksa for his poor play.

And in fairness to Sharangovich, he is far from the only probnlem right now, but he was brought in to score goals for this team and if he can’t do that, it’s hard to justify keeping him in the lineup.

In his comments today, Ryan Huska noted that about half the team was playing well and half the team simply was not showing up, and that scratching Sharangovich was a message to those players that were not playing well.

This is a big move for the Flames’ coach after six games, but don’t expect him to be out for long. The Flames have locked up the Belarussian winger for five years, and aren’t going to be able to move him if he’s not in the lineup. It does raise questions as to whether that extension was even a smart one to begin with though.

Calgary Flames waive Daniil Miromanov

The Flames also made another move today, placing Daniil Miromanov on waivers. Acquired as part of the Noah Hanifin trade, Miromanov was expected to slot into the team’s defence and be a fixture long-term. When he was aquired, Miromanov spoke of his limitless possibility and of fighting to be the best defenceman in the league, but so far he hasn’t even been the best defenceman on the team’s third pairing.

The Flames have been trying to make things work on the left side of their defence, with everyone below Kevin Bahl struggling to make an impact. However, he has rarely seen the ice this season, and when he was on the ice, Miromanov struggled greatly. It was time to place him on waivers.

The Flames reportedly were looking to move Miromanov last season, but clearly nothing materialized. The Flames are also reportedly looking for a strong left-shot defenceman as well, as none of their options have really worked out to this point.

We will find out tomorrow if Miromanov will be assigned to the Wranglers, but suffice to say, it’s hard to see him back in the NHL anytime soon if he does clear waivers.