The Calgary Flames’ run of business with the New Jersey Devils keeps looking better by the week.
That was on display again Sunday, when Yegor Sharangovich delivered the game-winning goal late in the third period to seal a 3-2 upset of the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. It was the kind of moment that fits the pattern of this Flames-Devils connection: one former Devil stepping into a big spot and finishing the job.
Sharangovich is one of four current Flames with Devils experience, joining Kevin Bahl, Simon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov. But the trade tree goes beyond the players already in Calgary. The Flames also landed Aydar Suniev and Cole Reschny through draft picks acquired from New Jersey in separate deals, one involving Tyler Toffoli and another centered on Jacob Markstrom.
The Markstrom trade in June 2024 brought back both Reschny and Bahl, and Bahl has quickly become one of Calgary’s most important pieces on the blue line. Early this season, he leads the Flames in average ice time and has clearly taken on the heaviest defensive load, no longer buried behind Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar.
Bahl has also reunited with Nemec, a familiar partner from their New Jersey days. Together, they have given Calgary one of the strongest early-season pairings in the league. Through just over 82 minutes of 5-on-5 action, the Flames have out-chanced opponents 54 to 32 with Bahl and Nemec on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Nemec, the second overall pick by the Devils in 2022, is still waiting for his first goal in Flames colours, but the volume has been there. He already has a team-high 45 shot attempts at 5-on-5 through eight games. And while Tsyplakov is also part of the group, Nemec was the player Calgary was really targeting when it dealt two future first-round picks, a second-rounder and prospect Etienne Morin over the summer.
Sharangovich’s recent rise is a different kind of payoff, but an important one all the same. After scoring 31 goals in his first season with the Flames in 2023-24, his totals dipped to 17 in 2024-25 and 15 last season, making him a target for plenty of criticism from fans and media.
Now, with the salary cap climbing, his $5.75-million cap hit looks more manageable. The on-ice results help the case too: the Flames have outshot opponents 60-39 with Sharangovich on the ice at 5-on-5 this season, the best differential of any Calgary player.
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Dylan Larkin has reportedly widened the list of teams he would consider as a trade destination, and New Jersey is now among them. For a club that has tried to build toward contention without losing its identity, that kind of opening is hard to ignore, even if it only puts the Devils in the conversation for now and leaves the next step very much unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Fans Have A New Prospect Reason To Watch Boston University
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Devils Goalie Plan Leaves One Rostered Option Clearly On The Outside
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For a team that has already settled into this arrangement, any shift would have to go beyond the coaching staff alone, with general manager Sunny Mehta part of the discussion if the Devils decide to revisit the setup. Poirier remains the name on the outside looking in, and until the organization chooses to alter its plan, the path to a start does not appear to be opening anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]