2023-24 Calgary Flames predictions: Yegor Sharangovich hits 50 points in 2023-24

At this point in the predictions series, I have written about homegrown youngsters and big-contract pieces that came from somewhere else in the NHL landscape. Well, in this article, I want to talk about a young player that is from the outside but isn’t a big-contract piece and could still be very useful down the stretch for the Calgary Flames if he’s able to find another gear: Yegor Sharangovich.

Sharangovich made his mark in the middle six of the New Jersey Devils, playing alongside some of the game’s youngest and brightest stars. He won’t wow anyone with his play, just as he never really did with the Devils, but he is a skilled winger with decent two-way ability if he can hit his potential. Receiving him in the Tyler Toffoli trade may have felt underwhelming to some, but if head coach Ryan Huska can find the right combination for him in this system, I have a strong feeling that he will be able to make his mark in the top six for this team.

The 25-year-old has plenty in common with lots of the Flames already, partially due to the fact that last year was a down year for him in terms of production. In 75 games played, he scored 13 goals and registered 17 assists for 30 points, which is the same number as 2020-21, where he scored 30 points in 54 games during the Covid-19 shortened season. However, in that year, he was on pace for 45 points in a full 82-game season, so he still had a better rate of production than last season. He came in 10th in Calder Trophy voting that year, and to top it all off, he shot 4.1 percent better and averaged 2:23 more ice time that year than he did in 2022-23, which can and did make a huge difference in opportunity, quality of competition, and quality of teammates.

2021-22 was Sharangovich’s best year, scoring 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points in 76 games. He also managed to have an above-average impact on the defensive end that season too, however minuscule it was.

In 2023-24, I’m going out on a limb and making the prediction that Sharangovich is going to reach the 50-point plateau, which would be a career-high in points. But in order for him to do that, there need to be some things that happen in tandem. First, he needs to get just as much, if not a minute or two more of average ice time. The likelihood that he gets that is probably high considering who he potentially could be on a line with, but it needed to be said. Second, he needs to return his shooting percentage back to around 12-14 percent. It may not seem like much, but those extra percentage points mean everything in the long run for a prediction such as this one. And finally, he needs his linemates to step up. If he’s playing with Jonathan Huberdeau, he REALLY needs Huberdeau to have a bounce-back year. Otherwise, this prediction is moot because Sharangovich doesn’t have the skill set to be the main conductor of offence on a line, especially not one with a poor Huberdeau.

Sharangovich has some big shoes to fill as the main piece of the return for the Flames’ best forward last season and top scorer in Toffoli, but if the Flames can get things started in the right direction early, we may be able to see what this kid can do in a different system with different but still talented linemates.