In return New Jersey acquired forward Tyler Toffoli.
In return New Jersey acquired forward Tyler Toffoli.
NEWARK, N.J. -- Yegor Sharangovich knew he regressed last season.
"This season didn't go the way I wanted it to," he said to reporters. "I'm going to work on myself this summer. I will change my preseason workouts on the ice because a lot of guys got to a new level. A couple of new guys are on the team, and my ice time went down. My role has changed."
The former New Jersey Devils forward finished the 2022-23 campaign with 13 goals, which was 11 less than the 24 he scored the season prior. He served as a healthy scratch multiple times toward the end of the regular season and watched nine of 12 postseason games from the press box.
The addition of Timo Meier and the chemistry between Jack Hughes and Erik Haula eventually pushed Sharangovich down the lineup into a bottom-six role. In his final games as Devil, he played alongside Dawson Mercer and Jesper Boqvist on the third line and Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian on the fourth.
As he mentioned during his end-of-season media availability, his role changed, and since the Meier acquisition on Feb. 26, 2023, Sharangovich inevitably became the odd man out.
As some recently pointed out, having the 25-year-old on the team was a luxury for New Jersey but not a necessity. He's been a consistent 30-point earner and excellent penalty killer but would not be getting a consistent chance in New Jersey due to their forward depth. Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald saw an opportunity to bring in a player who would compliment his core and add more championship experience.
On June 27, New Jersey agreed to trade Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft to the Calgary Flames in exchange for veteran forward Tyler Toffoli.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Flames general manager Craig Conroy mentioned why he targeted Sharangovich.
"We thought it (was) a good fit for us to get younger," Conroy told The Athletic. "For a guy that's scored goals in the league. He has good size, good penalty killer, and can play all three (zones). He's versatile; he can play all three positions which was a bonus for us. And to get our own third-round pick back is nice." (from 'Flames trade Tyler Toffoli to Devils for Yegor Sharangovich, draft pick: Why they made the deal,' The Athletic, June 27, 2023).
The Devils turned a player who would have at times likely served as a healthy scratch next season into a former Stanley Cup champion who bolsters New Jersey's already impressive top-six. Moving Sharangovich was necessary. It makes room for Nolan Foote to compete for a bottom-six roster spot when training camp begins and allowed New Jersey to bring another veteran voice into the locker room.