Let’s just cut right to the chase, shall we? After Craig Conroy handed out a monster extension on July 1 of this year, there were expectations that Yegor Sharangovich would continue to be a major contributor for the Calgary Flames like he was in his first season in Calgary. Well, it has not exactly gone according to plan as we head into 2025.
Sharangovich, as of late, has looked totally disengaged, and the man who was paid handsomely to put the puck in the back of the net has barely been noticeable this season. At this point, I believe that Ryan Huska has no choice but to sit Sharangovich for a few games to get his head back on straight.
Sharangovich’s play so far this season
This is not exactly a case of Sharangovich playing well and having no puck luck; he has been really lacklustre on the ice this season. After missing sometime earlier in the year due to an injury that he sustained in the preseason, Sharangovich came out of the gates cold. We’ll give him a pass on the first few weeks of his season since he was coming off an injury.
Since then, there has been a whole lot of nothing from Sharangovich on the ice. He is currently sitting with just nine points on the season in 29 games, which puts him on pace for just 24 points on the year. For reference, noted defensive defenceman and former Flame Chris Tanev has more points than Sharangovich this season. Not great.
It was expected that we would see some regression from Sharangovich as his shooting percentage was up last season, and none of his underlying numbers suggested that he would repeat this kind of season. However, with the ice time he has been getting and the power play chances he has been given, it was expected that he would be putting the puck in the net on a more consistent basis. With his release, he should be scoring goals.
Unfortunately, Sharangovich has been ice-cold this year. After going on a mini-heater in which he scored in three straight games, he has just one goal and one assist in the 14 games since. That is it. Not good for a guy who has been getting consistent top-six minutes and time on the team’s first power play unit. He is not doing anything out there; he isn’t using that great shot of his, isn’t making plays for his teammates, and he is getting caved in on a nightly basis. A wake-up call is desperately needed.
The Flames should sit Sharangovich for a few games
I think it is time for a little tough love for Sharangovich. We saw Andrei Kuzmenko sit as a scratch for a little bit after the horrendous season he has had before finally getting back into the lineup on Sunday. I think it is time to give Sharangovich the same treatment after how he has played.
Interestingly enough, less than a week after we said the Flames should scratch Kuzmenko, they did it. Does that mean a Sharangovich scratch will follow this? Let’s hope so!
This may be the wake-up call that he needs to get his game going once again. If he knows that his job is no longer safe, maybe he will start playing with that fire and drive we saw a season ago. Sure, maybe it didn’t exactly work for Kuzmenko, but these things work in different ways, and it may work as a positive for Sharangovich to get going. Watching a few games with a bag of popcorn might let him see some things that he can improve on. It really can’t get much worse than where he is at right now.
This will serve as a warning shot to the whole team that even if you have a long-term contract with a lot of money attached to it, everyone can be scratched at any given time. I would like to see if that can work for Sharangovich to get his game going. He doesn’t deserve to be in the lineup right now.
Sharangovich’s new deal may not age all that well
At the end of the day, the Flames have to get Sharangovich going. They need a pulse out of him. His new deal doesn’t kick in until next year, and right now, he is looking more like a fringe NHL player than the 30-goal scorer he was just last season.
There were plenty of warning signs and reasons not to extend him after last season, but the Flames felt they needed to do it and got it done as soon as they were possibly able to. Right now, it looks like a disaster, but all we can hope for is for Sharangovich to get going, or the Flames are going to have another really tough deal on their hands.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
