New Flames GM Craig Conroy took plenty of heat for the deal that brought Yegor Sharangovich into the fold, but time has shown the swap is greatly benefiting both clubs

Since the Calgary Flames have hit the midway point of the season, it is a perfect time to look back at last summer’s trade.

When the Flames dealt Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round draft choice used to select Aydar Suniev, the bulk of the reaction went from underwhelmed to comments that new Calgary general manger Craig Conroy had been fleeced.

In the season’s early going, the scales appeared to be tipped big-time in New Jersey’s favour when Toffoli jumped out of the gates and scored six goals in a four-game span to end October.

Now, even the worst detractors in Flamesland should agree the deal has evened out.

Sharangovich, 25, has netted 14 goals and 27 points in 41 games, and impressive bounce-back from last season's marks of 13 goals and 30 points, and on pace to best his career marks of 24 goals and 46 points from the 2021-22 campaign.

The Flames are winless in shootouts, but Sharangovich has scored on three of four chances in the skills competition, and his miss was a rocket that rang off the post.

Toffoli, 31, has netted 16 goals and 28 points in 38 games (New Jersey has only played 38 games so far), which over his career is above average in goals and around the average in points.

Seeing as the Flames dealt away Toffoli at his request when his terms for a contract extension were not going to be met, the Flames acted. The pending unrestricted free-agent is in the final year of a deal with a $4.25-million salary cap hit, from which you can be assured he wants a raise and term.

Sharangovich was signed to a two-year contract worth $3.1 million against the cap, and is due to become a UFA after the 2024-25 season.

The downside to Sharangovich’s deal is that potential UFA status means his time in Calgary may not be much longer than had they kept Toffoli. The upside is that he could become a very moveable asset late next season if the Flames do not agree on his worth and/or are deeper in a retool position than they are today.

Not to be forgotten is Suniev. Expectations of a 19-year-old, third-round draft choice should always be tempered, but it is worth noting Suniev has had a strong start to his freshman season at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with eight goals and 14 points in 18 games.

As much as people want to grade a trade in the immediate aftermath, this is proof that time must be taken to get the full picture. The story is becoming more clear but is far from complete.