Overall, the 2024-25 season was considered a successful one for Jonathan Huberdeau. The Calgary Flames forward had a very respectable 28 goals and 62 points in 81 outings. It was a massive improvement after he scored just 15 and 12 goals in the previous two seasons. That said, the fact that 62 points is considered a good season for Huberdeau is a disappointing reminder of just how far his game has fallen.
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Prior to being acquired by the Flames from the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster deal involving Matthew Tkachuk, Huberdeau was coming off a career-best 115-point season. It was his first time surpassing the 100-point barrier, though he’d finished above the point-per-game mark the prior three seasons, including 92 points in 2018-19. Certain that they were acquiring a superstar talent, the Flames locked up Huberdeau on an eight-year, $84 million deal before he had played a game for the organization.
While the $10.5 million cap hit for Huberdeau was undoubtedly steep at the time it was spent, most felt it was, at worst, a slight overpay. There were many who were quite confident he could live up to the deal given what he had shown over the past several seasons as a member of the Panthers.
Through three seasons with the Flames, it’s become quite clear that Huberdeau will never live up anywhere close to that deal. The fact that 62 points for him this past season was considered a good effort shows just that. Keep in mind, during his 115-point season, he had 85 assists alone.
At this time, it’s easy enough for Flames fans to dismiss the Huberdeau contract, as the team has a lot of cap space and is nowhere near being a contender. That said, the deal still has six seasons remaining on it, which is a harsh reminder of just how ugly a contract it is, even with him upping his performance this past season.
Huberdeau Ranked Worst Contract in the NHL
As they do each year, The Athletic released the top 10 worst contracts in the NHL. Author Dom Luszczyszyn works analytics, along with the cap hit and term remaining on the deals, to determine who has the worst contracts in the NHL. Flames fans may not want to read past this point, as the result isn’t a pretty one (from ‘Dom Luszczyszyn: NHL’s 10 worst contracts, 2025 edition: Jonathan Huberdeau, Ivan Provorov and more,’ The Athletic, 7/31/25).
Based on the model from Luszczyszyn, Huberdeau has the worst contract in the NHL, marking the second-straight year he’s been viewed as such in this particular ranking. It’s hard to argue the result, as there are only 10 forwards in the league who carry a higher cap hit than the Flames winger.
“Huberdeau is still a good player. And in the right situation, it’s possible he can still be a great player,” Luszczyszyn wrote. “Still, it’s unlikely he’ll ever be a $10.5 million player again. For now, he’s nowhere close and, for the second straight year, carries the league’s worst contract as a result.”
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It’s also nice to see Luszczyszyn iterate that Huberdeau is still a good player, because, despite many Flames fans not loving the contract, they are all aware of the fact that the 32-year-old is indeed a solid player. Despite his production being halved since coming to Calgary, he’s never once complained, and has worked hard to improve his two-way game. He is even now being used on the penalty kill.
While that is admirable, it doesn’t make up for his contract. Huberdeau was signed to be an offensive force, not a 50-to-60-point two-way forward. He’s unlikely to ever get back to being the star talent he was for so many years with the Panthers, but if he can continue to play like he did in 2024-25, the contract will be far from good, but not as big of a disaster as it looked to be after his first two seasons with the Flames.
