The New Jersey Devils had a big surprise on the NHL roster last season when some of the young players stepped up. There was hope that veterans like Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac, P.K. Subban, and Nikita Gusev would help them at least stay competitive. It worked out pretty terribly. Two of them ended up traded after disappointing years, one was unceremoniously cut, and the other played better but not to the point the Devils defense was something to behold.
In fact, it wasn’t the veterans who helped this team at all. It was the young players pushing them to new heights.
The obvious Jack Hughes resurgence was the main proponent to any good Devils run. He found a way to be much better in year two of his career. Hughes was able to carry the team at times, and he is the main reason for optimism. The other is Ty Smith. He was a Calder Trophy candidate for most of the season. Smith really helped solidify a defensive unit that was desperate for someone to play on the top line.
There was a laundry list of other young players who were a surprising positive. Michael McLeod finally lived up to his expectations by scoring the first NHL goals of his career and playing a legitimately great fourth-line center. Miles Wood was perfect for the Lindy Ruff system. Janne Kuokkanen proved he was more than an AHL scorer. Pavel Zacha showed maybe he wasn’t a complete bust in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Of all the young players who stepped up, by far the most surprising was Yegor Sharangovich. He went from a 5th-round flier from Belarus to a first-line star. Sharangovich started his impressive season in Russia where he was one of the league leaders in goals. He scored 17 in 34 games for a torrid start. He came back to the United States and earned himself a position in the starting lineup, and he made an immediate impact.
Sharangovich’s first NHL goal came with 1.7 seconds left in overtime to beat the Boston Bruins. It was a moment that made it seem like this could be a special season for the Devils. There was a lot to root for, and the Devils had the right mix at the time of veterans and rookies to really push forward.
Yegor Sharangovich looks like he’s ready to build off his rookie season.
The rest of the season went downhill for the team, but nothing ever really fell downhill for Sharangovich. He started off slow, but he was playing hard so Coach Ruff kept him in the lineup. He had two points in his first month then two points in his second month (although that’s when the COVID outbreak happened). In his third month in the league, he jumped to four goals and four assists. In April, he went beast mode. He had 14 points in his fourth month in the NHL.
Sharangovich just kept getting better as the season went on. He eventually secured a spot on the first line, and at no point did Devils fans want him anywhere else. There are some worries about a sophomore slump, but he’s doing what he can to show that’s not likely.
SharanGOALvich does it again! A blistering shot from our captain puts Belarusian NT ahead in a game against Austria @NJDevils pic.twitter.com/c6kGJyYCcP
— Хоккей Беларуси | Hockey.by (@hockey_blr) August 27, 2021
The Belarusian team was playing in an Olympic qualifier, and they were worried a loss meant they wouldn’t be invited to Beijing. Their Olympic dreams were on the line, and that’s when Sharangovich took over. You see the absolute snipe he had above, but he added another goal to help his country stay alive.
This only bodes well for the Devils as they go into next season with much different expectations. After signing Dougie Hamilton and Tomas Tatar in the offseason (among other moves), the Devils are expected to at least be competitive on a nightly basis. That’s because players like Sharangovich are expected to at least equal their production from last season. Over a normal 82-game season, which next year expects to be, he was on pace for 45 points. If he falls below 50 next season, most fans would consider it a disappointment.
Sharangovich looks like he’s actually going to get better next season. That’s to be expected since there shouldn’t be a COVID outbreak next season and he can feel more normal in the system. He will grow with the team, and he could actually turn into a legitimate scorer. His shot is no joke. His 14% shooting percentage is high, but it isn’t so high that he can’t replicate this kind of production. Sharangovich can absolutely rip it, and goalies usually have trouble stopping it.
The Devils need Sharangovich to at least play like a top-six forward. With the addition of Tatar, they barely have a top six to put together. If one of those players falters without someone like Alexander Holtz or Nolan Foote making major strides, then it would really hurt this team’s chances to compete. Sharangovich looks like he won’t be the problem next year because he’s already ready to dominate.