While things certainly haven’t gone the way Calgary Flames fans had hoped over the past year, there is still room for optimism heading into the 2023-24 campaign. As disappointing as it was to see Tyler Toffoli traded to the New Jersey Devils, this Flames roster is still loaded with talent and could surprise a lot of people this coming season.
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Despite several players entering the final year of their contracts, none outside of Noah Hanifin are believed to have let management know that they want a trade. That means it remains a possibility that players such as Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov could be signed to extensions. However, that isn’t what is most exciting when it comes to the future outlook of this Flames team.
If you recall, it was right around this time last year that Flames fans not only had to deal with Johnny Gaudreau departing but also learned that Matthew Tkachuk wanted out of town. While it felt like the sky was falling, finding out that Jonathan Huberdeau was coming in return lifted the spirits of many. Unfortunately, the 30-year-old struggled to live up to expectations in his first season with his new organization, recording just 55 points. While fan optimism surrounding Huberdeau at this point may be low, an insider is suggesting there is serious confidence within the organization that he will return to form in 2023-24.
Huberdeau Feeling Much More Comfortable in Calgary
Last summer’s trade to Calgary was a complete shock for Huberdeau. Despite the Florida Panthers’ struggles in the playoffs, he, along with nearly everybody else, assumed he was going to continue to be a part of the organization’s core for many years. After all, at the time he left the Panthers, he sat first all-time in franchise history for points with 613.
Panthers general manager (GM) Bill Zito had other plans, though, feeling his team needed to be tougher to play against. The trade, which also saw MacKenzie Weegar head to Calgary, reportedly left Huberdeau upset. It was a fair reaction given that the Panthers were the only organization he had ever known, spending the first 10 seasons of his career with them. Despite quickly agreeing to an eight-year extension with the Flames, it is understandable that he was still in shock trying to put things together.
Arriving in Calgary was uncomfortable for Huberdeau right off the bat, and it showed on the ice. His 55 points marked a 65-point decrease from the season prior, proving just how off of his game he was. On top of that, it didn’t help that he had a rift with former head coach Darryl Sutter.
However, as bad as things went in year one, Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the Flames brass is confident Huberdeau will turn things around in 2023-24.
“When Huberdeau was in Florida, he was a big arranger. Like, are all the players getting together, what’s everybody doing tonight? That didn’t happen as much last season because he was obviously in shock that he was on a new team,” Friedman explained. “I’ve heard [this year] he’s one of the guys calling the draft picks, making some of the newcomers feel welcome. I’ve heard the Flames have taken that as a very good sign, that he’s getting over the shock and he’s getting back to his own personality. That’s very important to being successful is being comfortable in your own skin and being who you are.”
Huberdeau’s Talent Could Get the Flames Back Into the Playoffs
Make no mistake about it; at his best, Huberdeau is one of the game’s elite offensive talents. In his final four seasons with the Panthers, he had 346 points in 286 games. That ranked fourth in that span, trailing only Patrick Kane, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid. That talent doesn’t just go away overnight, especially for a player of his age.
While many are treating this Flames team as a laughing stock at the moment due to what has transpired early this offseason, they may very soon be changing their tune. If newly hired GM Craig Conroy is able to get some of the players mentioned above signed to extensions, this is a team that could very well be a contender in the Western Conference in 2023-24.
