'Only getting better'

NASHVILLE - It's a combination of skills that every GM is after.

Speed.

Size.

And above all else, a threatening shot that will test even the most hardened of goaltenders.

Wrap it all up in 'youth' and all of a sudden, the Flames could see the potential of such a player exploding before them.

For the past three years, Yegor Sharangovich has made a name for himself on the east coast - but only just scratching the surface of what many believe he's capable of.

Now, the next chapter will unfold right here in Calgary.

"He's kind of come on the radar the last two or three years," said Flames GM Craig Conroy, shortly after announcing a dinnertime deal with the New Jersey Devils that sent Tyler Toffoli back the other way. "I've read the reports. I've watched him. And when you see him, he's a big guy, he skates well, he goes to the net and shoots the puck well. He has that knack around the net and is only getting better - especially at 25.

"His game is just coming.

"We feel like if we put him in a position to have success, he will."

The 6-foot-2, 196-lb. forward is officially listed as a centre, but is equally effective at all three positions - with his penalty-killing efforts drawing all kinds of praise from Conroy when asked to evaluate his new acquisition. Offensively, over the past two seasons, he and Toffoli have both scored 25 goals apiece at 5-on-5, and are neck-and-neck in even-strength points in that span as well. This is a player with an extremely high ceiling craving an opportunity like this - and you can't help but imagine what's possible if he were put in a top-six role and given some additional powerplay time.

Overall, Sharagovich has 53 goals and 106 points in 205 regular-season games. The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent, but is coming off a bargain of a deal that saw him cost only $2M annually on the salary cap.

Best of all, his acquisition helps to accomplish one of Conroy's top priorities of getting younger and setting his team up well for the future.

"With him and some of the younger guys that might play, the age is really going to come down on this team," Conroy said. "And that's what we're trying to do.

"He fits right into that mold for us.

"We wanted a little size - and he's a bigger guy. We wanted a little pace - and he's a good skater. Combined with the penalty kill, that's big for us. You're just always trying to improve your team to get better, but in this case, we're trying to get younger as well."

"We felt like this was something we needed to do right now and moving forward."

In the trade, the Flames also acquired a third-round pick in this year's draft - a selection (80th overall) that originally belonged to the Flames, but was traded multiple times. This now gives the team a selection in each round but the fifth in what is considered to be one of the deepest drafts in recent memory.

"We're happy to have it," Conroy said. "Meeting with the scouts today, they're hoping any pick we can get this year, they think it's such a good year, they're looking forward to it.

"When they hear about the trade, they'll be happy about this one."