The Flames cannot afford another down year from Yegor Sharangovich

It’s no secret that Yegor Sharangovich performed well below expectations this season. The level of decline he experienced compared to his first season with the Calgary Flames was significant.

When the trade was made for Sharangovich two years ago, the Flames faced considerable criticism. However, the trade would initially age well, as Sharangovich emerged as a key top-six forward for the team. His breakout season resulted in him getting rewarded with a five-year, $28.75 million extension.

Ever since then, Sharangovich has struggled to live up to his contract, which officially kicks in next season. With the Flames’ scoring woes and the amount of money Sharangovich is set to make, the team cannot afford another down season from the 26-year-old Belarusian.

Sharangovich’s time with the Flames so far

Sharangovich carved a solid role for himself when he was traded to the Flames. It took him a bit to get going, but once he got on his game, there was no turning back.

He would finish last season with a career high 31 goals and 59 points in 73 games. He was best known for his lethal shot and goalscoring pedigree, something the Flames desperately needed. Overall, Craig Conroy’s first trade as GM was aging quite well.

This season, things didn’t go as smoothly. Sharangovich missed the start of the season with injury, and once he returned, he didn’t look like his normal self. He wasn’t taking as many shots and played like he was afraid of the puck in a way. It heavily influenced his low offensive total this season, as Sharangovich only finished with 17 goals and 32 points in 73 games.

As mentioned, Sharangovich’s new contract extension will be starting next season, where he’ll be making $5.75 million per year. His current numbers don’t justify his contract, and things will get ugly if he continues his mediocre play over the next few seasons.

Expectations for Sharangovich next season

With all this being said, can Sharangovich return to his former glory next season? He certainly can, and it would be a big help on the offensive side of things. Sharangovich has all the tools to become a consistent 25-30 goal scorer in this league; however, consistency is an issue for him at times. A lack of confidence during plays was also a major issue.

I expect that Sharangovich goes back to scoring around 30 goals next season. With an elevated role and assuming he stays healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t replicate his success from two seasons ago. It felt that in 2023-24, Sharangovich had a chip on his shoulder to prove that he was a worthy NHLer, and he’ll have to do it again next season.

Sharangovich bounce-back will help with Flames’ anemic offence

The Flames as a group didn’t score many goals this season. They finished 29th in the league in goals per game, averaging about 2.68 goals. This is a major issue that the Flames want to address this summer, however, improvements can come internally. Using Sharangovich as an example, imagine what it would’ve been like if he were scoring at the pace he was in 2023-24. He alone wouldn’t have entirely solved the problem, but it would’ve helped tremendously.

The Flames will be counting on some of their forwards having bounce-back seasons for this group to put up more offence. After all, you can’t just depend on goaltending to get the job done. Quite simply, you need to put more pucks in the net to win more games. It’s a simple formula.

As I mentioned, I believe Sharangovich bounces back next season, but he’ll have added pressure due to his new contract. We’ll see if he truly lives up to it, but for now, getting back into the 25-30 goal range is the least we can ask for from a player whose biggest asset is his goalscoring.