The Calgary Flames have been better than most people expected through the opening stretch of the 2026-27 season, but Yegor Sharangovich has been one of the clearest reasons why the mood around the club still isn’t all that rosy.
At 8-10-1, Calgary is only four points out of a playoff spot, a far cry from the preseason talk that had the Flames and Vancouver Canucks battling near the bottom of the NHL. The team has gotten useful production from Joel Farabee, Matt Coronato, and Matvei Gridin, while Adam Klapka has chipped in from a bottom-six role. Kevin Bahl was strong before his season-ending injury, Zayne Parekh has taken a noticeable step forward, and Devin Cooley has been outstanding in goal.
But even with those positives, the Flames have had their share of disappointments. Dustin Wolf has been inconsistent through nine starts, and Jake Middleton hasn’t delivered the impact fans wanted. Still, no one has fallen farther off the map than Sharangovich.
His slide has been going on for a while. After scoring 31 goals in his first season with Calgary, Sharangovich earned a five-year, $28.75 million extension.
Since then, his game has cratered. He struggled badly in both 2024-25 and 2025-26, and he entered this season with almost no buzz around him at all.
The problem is that when the goals aren’t there, there isn’t much else to lean on. Even during that 31-goal year, Sharangovich didn’t always drive play in other areas. Now that the scoring has dried up, the lack of impact is impossible to ignore.
Over the last two seasons, he has totaled 61 points combined, which is a poor return on a $5.75 million cap hit. More than that, he has looked too easy to play against.
He doesn’t bring much physical pushback, he can be knocked off the puck, and he tends to lose too many 50/50 battles. That lack of bite has only made it harder for him to find space and finish chances.
The Flames, though, are in the early stages of a rebuild, so Sharangovich’s contract isn’t creating the kind of roster squeeze it might elsewhere. If another team showed interest, Calgary would likely move him without hesitation. But even if the cap hit isn’t a major problem right now, that doesn’t guarantee him a steady place in the lineup.
That becomes especially true as the roster gets healthier. Head coach Ryan Huska has had limited options early on because Sam Honzek has played only four games due to injury, while Jonathan Huberdeau has yet to make his season debut. Both could be back soon.
Huberdeau is working his way back after hip resurfacing surgery last spring and is expected to return in the coming weeks. Honzek has been cleared to play, but the Flames sent him to the Calgary Wranglers so he can get back up to speed. He is expected to spend only a few games in the AHL before rejoining Calgary.
Once those two are available again, Huska will have more room to sit players who aren’t pulling their weight. Sharangovich is firmly in that group, and if his play doesn’t pick up over the next week or two, a healthy scratch may be waiting.
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Owen Say got the start in goal and finished the job by holding the lead through the final minutes, which is the sort of detail Flames fans will notice as they keep tabs on the farm team. With the Wranglers in the fourth game of a five-game road swing, performances like this matter beyond one result, especially when a few players are making a case to stay on the radar. [Read more 🡒]