How Craig Conroy and the Flames have Contributed to New Jersey’s Downfall

As I alluded to in my rating, the Flames have fleeced the Devils in recent years. Despite the Devils only making 2 trades since Craig Conroy became GM, he has made the Devils regret it. The first mistake was the Yegor Sharangovich deal. In Craig Conroy’s very first trade as Flames GM, he traded Tyler Toffoli to the Devils for Yegor Sharangovich and a 3rd round pick. At the time, many people, including myself, thought the Flames got less than they could’ve for the 80-point player. Well, Sharky changed our perception immediately as he became the 1st Belarusian to put up a 30-goal season and Toffoli would get traded to the Jets halfway through the next season for a 2nd and a 3rd. Although I wish Sharky was more consistent, he looks to be a 20-goal scorer with solid penalty killing ability. Also, that 3rd round pick became Suniev who is currently in the AHL. A year later, Conroy made another trade with the Devils that fans looked at much more optimistically than the Sharky deal. The Flames traded Jacob Markstrom to the Devils for Kevin Bahl and a top 10 protected 1st round pick. A steep price to pay, but Markstrom was supposed to be the goaltender New Jersey desperately needed who would put them over the top. Unfortunately, Markstrom has been inconsistent with his good nights not fully making up for his bad ones. Meanwhile, Kevin Bahl has become a cornerstone of the Flames blueline and the kind of rock-solid defense-first D-man with some offensive punch the Devils desperately need. That 1st round pick the Devils sent became Cole Reschny. It’s not just the trades, the Flames have also been responsible for some of the worst losses for the Devils. March 20th, 2025. Devils go up 3-1 after 2 periods and keep that lead 6 minutes into the 3rd. Calgary proceeds to score 4 unanswered goals, including 3 in just 10 minutes and win the game 5-3. This game triggered a downward spiral for the Devils. They lost 7 of their final 12 games and could’ve easily choked a playoff spot away had the Blue Jackets managed to catch them down the stretch. The Devils then got bulldozed in the playoffs against Carolina. Also, Dan Vladar got his first shutout of that season back in November. Ironically, one of Markstrom’s final wins as a Flame also contributed to New Jersey’s misery. February 8th, 2024, right before the Flames made the Noah Hanifin trade and before the Devils traded Toffoli. New Jersey was on the outside, but close to a playoff spot at this point. Markstrom made 37 saves as the Flames jumped on New Jersey early and often to win 5-3. Unlike the other one, it’s hard to point it a correlation with their collapse, but it is worth pointing out the Devils went 13-18-1 after this game. Now we can add this game to New Jersey’s Flames-related misery. Why do I point this out? I swear it’s not to rub salt on New Jersey’s wound. Mainly because I find this fascinating. For all of New Jersey’s disappointment since 2023, the Flames are one of the most underrated culprit’s in their downfall. I also find it ironic the Devils struggle against Flames.