The Calgary Flames have dealt with the criticism over the past two seasons that they simply don't have any stars, and while the consensus between fans is that the sentiment remains the same, one name stepped up and made himself a star this season. That star came to the Flames this past summer in a trade with New Jersey, as the Flames moved Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils for Belarusian forward Yegor Sharangovich.
His arrival in Calgary may not have been met with much positivity, but right from the first drop of the puck, Sharangovich won fans over with his positive play on the ice, and most importantly, his electric shot. Despite a career high of 24 coming into the year, Sharangovich has blown past that, netting 30 goals and adding another 28 assists, but perhaps the most important role he played this season was that of Jonathan Huberdeau linemate, as No. 10 played his best hockey as a Flame alongside Yegor.
Yegor Sharangovich is a 30-goal scorer for the first time in his career! 🔥
— NHL (@NHL) April 7, 2024
📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/R1NaChLG20
At 26-years of age, Sharangovich is proving that he just needed time on the ice to blossom into a fantastic player, and while he may never become a 100-point a season player, giving the Flames 60 with 30 goals makes him an incredibly valuable asset. Yegor carries a cap hit of just $3.1M next season before hitting free agency, and now he becomes one of the Flames most important assets going forward, whether that's as a first-line player or a potential trade chip.
That's a story for another day however, as Sharangovich has absolutely earned all of the adoration that Flames fans have given him this season, and whether he's on the way out this summer, at the trade deadline or gets extended, 2023-24 should be remembered as a season where Yegor Sharangovich truly arrived as a genuine top level player in the NHL.
Beyond Sharangovich, the pickings were slim for this award, with Andrei Kuzmenko another potential recipiant, but from the moment he pulled on a Flames jersey, No. 17 has become must-watch for Calgary, and will look to build on that next season as he enters his prime in the NHL.