Jonathan Huberdeau hasn’t had an easy go of things in the past few years. The 31-year-old spent several seasons starring for the Florida Panthers before being moved in a surprising blockbuster deal to the Calgary Flames, a trade that saw Matthew Tkachuk head the other way. The trade wasn’t one that he saw coming whatsoever. Though, despite the shock, he agreed to sign an eight-year, $84 million deal with the Flames a few months later.
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The contract was one that felt like a slight overpay at the time but didn’t feel all too unreasonable for a player who was coming off a 115-point season. Not long after, however, it was being viewed as the worst contract in the entire NHL.
Huberdeau got off to a slow start in his Flames tenure, recording 55 points in his first season. Many felt that head coach Darryl Sutter had a role in his disappointing totals, and believed he would bounce back in 2023-24 under Ryan Huska. But that wasn’t the case, as he regressed even further with 52 points. It seemed as though this was the player he was going to be moving forward, and everyone wrote him off. Thanks to a strong first half in 2024-25, however, he’s proving he still has plenty left in the tank.
Huberdeau Carrying Flames Offensively
Huberdeau, while not playing anywhere close to the 115-point pace he was at in 2021-22, is having far and away his best season since joining the Flames. He’s creating offensive chances night in and night out and leads the Flames with 18 goals and 35 points through 46 games.
Huberdeau is currently on pace for 32 goals, which would set a career-high. He’s hit the 30-goal mark twice in his career; once in 2018-19 and the other in 2021-22. What makes it all the more impressive is that the rest of the Flames have really struggled to find the back of the net this season. If not for him, they likely wouldn’t be in a playoff spot right now.
It isn’t just offensively that Huberdeau is thriving, either. He’s had a big role on the penalty kill this season and has made noticeable improvements in his defensive play at even strength. It’s not only caught the attention of Flames fans but also his own head coach, Ryan Huska.
“He’s been one of our most consistent players, I would say,” Huska said following Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. “There’s stretches where he still wants to score a little more, or wasn’t generating, but he’s stuck with it. What he’s done, we’ve talked about it before, he’s made himself a really good 200-foot player, where there is zero issue having him on the ice in certain situations. I like him on the penalty kill because he thinks like a power-play guy. He does a good job at recognizing where seams are and where guys want to make plays. That’s just natural because that’s the type of player he is.”
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Considering how bad things were for him in his first two seasons, it’s hard to imagine how Huberdeau had any confidence left to put forth in 2024-25. While he may not be playing up to the level of his contract, he’s made massive strides this season and is having a great impact on the success of the Flames.
Flames Hoping This Can Stick
Given how bad things went in the first two seasons for Huberdeau, it is far from a guarantee the level of play he’s at right now will stick. That said, it’s clear that he’s getting his swagger back, which is a great sight not only for this season but in the years to come. Should he sustain this level of play, his contract will be a lot easier for Flames fans to swallow going forward.
