Things are not going well for Jonathan Huberdeau. The 30-year-old’s production has fallen off of a cliff since he joined the Calgary Flames, which is troublesome for many reasons. One is the fact that he was supposed to be the big get in a trade that saw Matthew Tkachuk head to the Florida Panthers. Another, and the most serious of all, is the fact that these struggles began before his eight-year, $84 million contract kicked in.
Huberdeau’s first full season as a Flame was a disaster, as he managed just 15 goals and 55 points in 79 outings, a 60-point reduction from the season before. Any hope for a bounce back is almost gone, as the play-making winger has been even worse in 2023-24 with 15 points through 27 games. That puts him on pace for just 45 points over an 82-game schedule, which would mark his lowest point total since the 2016-17 season when he was limited to just 31 games due to injury.
With his $10.5 million cap hit, there is no question that Huberdeau’s contract is a flat-out disaster at this point. Here’s a look at his deal compared to some of the worst contracts across the NHL.
Sergei Bobrovsky
$10 million through 2025-26
Many were left scratching their heads when the Panthers announced that they had signed Sergei Bobrovsky to a seven-year, $70 million contract in 2019. Despite boasting two Vezina Trophies, it felt like an awful lot to pay a goaltender who was already in his thirties.
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The doubts about his contract have been vindicated, as he hasn’t at all lived up to his lucrative deal. That said, he was able to step up in both a big and unexpected way during last season’s playoffs, helping carry the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final. That performance alone has helped change the tone surrounding his deal.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Tyler Seguin
$9.85 million through 2026-27
This one feels somewhat unfair given that Tyler Seguin’s decline is largely due to injury. The 31-year-old admitted that an injury suffered during the 2020 Playoffs meant he had to rebuild his entire quad muscle, and it’s apparent that he has never returned to being the same player since.
While Seguin isn’t worth the $9.85 million he commands, he is still contributing with nine goals and 18 points through 26 games. Working in his favour is the fact that the Dallas Stars roster is loaded with talent, taking a lot of pressure off him to perform. Though his contract isn’t pretty, he has just three years remaining after this season compared to Huberdeau’s seven.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Johnny Gaudreau
$9.75 million through 2028-29
While Flames fans are certainly frustrated with Huberdeau’s contract, they can take some pleasure in knowing that Johnny Gaudreau’s deal is also quickly becoming one of the worst in the NHL. The 30-year-old shocked the hockey world when he chose to sign as a free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a deal which both sides have to be regretting right now.
While Gaudreau did manage 72 points in his first season with the Blue Jackets, he had a minus-33 rating, which was second worst among his teammates. As bad as that seemed, things have gone much worse in 2023-24, as he has just four goals and 15 points through 30 games. That said, his deal expires two seasons before Huberdeau’s, making it a better one, if only slightly.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Seth Jones
$9.5 million through 2029-30
From the second the Chicago Blackhawks signed Seth Jones to an eight-year, $76 million deal, many felt it would end in disaster. While the 29-year-old defenceman has plenty of naturally-born skill, he lacks the hockey IQ that is needed to be a dominant force on the back end, making him one of the league’s most overpaid players.
Jones has struggled severely in his two-and-a-half seasons with the Blackhawks and is goalless through 27 games in 2023-24. This contract was an absolute flop from day one, though it does expire one year ahead of Huberdeau’s and comes in at a million less. That said, Jones’ deal carries a full no-movement clause until its expiry, while Huberdeau’s becomes a modified no-trade clause after the 2028-29 season. This could perhaps give the Flames a bit of leverage near the end of Huberdeau’s deal, while the Blackhawks are undoubtedly stuck with Jones’.
Worse Deal: Wash
Jeff Skinner
$9 million through 2026-27
Early into his eight-year, $72 million deal, Jeff Skinner was playing so poorly that he was thought to have had the worst contract in the NHL. However, the Buffalo Sabres forward has been able to get his play back on track, recording a career-high 82 points last season.
While Skinner’s $9 million price tag is still quite hefty for what he provides, he deserves plenty of credit for rejuvenating his career. Had he not been able to do so, the Sabres could have been in a lot of trouble with this deal. Perhaps Flames fans can take a look at this situation and have hope that Huberdeau can still turn things around.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Evgeny Kuznetsov
$7.8 million through 2024-25
Like Huberdeau, Evgeny Kuznetsov was one of the more electrifying players in the league in the not-so-distant past. However, he has become a thorn in the side of Washington Capitals management due to both his lack of production and, even more so, his clear lack of effort.
As frustrating as Huberdeau’s struggles are, most Flames fans would admit it seems like he’s giving it his all every night. That is far from the case with Kuznetsov, who reportedly doesn’t want to be in Washington anymore and is making that very obvious with his play. He’s even been a healthy scratch on more than one occasion this season. Once again, the term keeps this contract from being as disastrous as Huberdeau’s, but it is one of the worst in the league.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
$7 million through 2025-26
Had there been a trophy given out to the league’s best shutdown defenceman, Marc-Edouard Vlasic would have been in the running for several seasons. Unfortunately, those days are long past, as the 36-year-old is a shell of his former self.
Vlasic has been playing third-pairing minutes for the last three and a half seasons and has seen his ice time drop to an average of just 14:00 minutes in 2023-24. That ice time would be low for a player on a league-minimum deal, let alone one that pays him $7 million. With the San Jose Sharks entering the early stages of a rebuild, they can afford to let this one ride out, but you can bet management will be happy to get this deal off the books.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
John Gibson
$6.4 million through 2026-27
The downfall of John Gibson over the past four to five seasons has been strange. The 30-year-old was once thought of as an elite starting netminder but has seen his game drop off dramatically in more recent years.
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While some of his struggles can be placed on the team playing in front of him, it is clear that Gibson is no longer the top-tiered goalie he was early on in his career. That makes his $6.4 million cap hit on a deal that still has three seasons after this one tough to stomach. That said, the term is still much shorter, and the dollar figure is significantly lower than Huberdeau’s.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Philipp Grubauer
$5.9 million through 2026-27
While there were several questions about the strategy of the Seattle Kraken’s management at the 2021 expansion draft, everyone seemed to agree that they had grabbed themselves a very reliable goaltender in Philipp Grubauer. The 32-year-old had three very successful years with the Colorado Avalanche and was coming off of a season in which he was a Vezina Trophy finalist.
Whether he benefitted from the teams he played with prior or has simply just hit a wall is undetermined, but Grubauer has been quite bad through his first two and a half seasons with the Kraken. He has yet to post a save percentage above .895 and even lost his starting job in 2022-23 to Martin Jones. The term, once again, puts him above Huberdeau, but this deal has been a rough one.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Josh Anderson
$5.5 million through 2026-27
Josh Anderson’s seven-year, $38.5 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens always seemed destined to become ugly, but it never truly became an issue until this season. While there is still time to turn things around, the 29-year-old has been nothing short of horrendous through 28 games, with a single goal and five points.
Though Anderson’s deal has far less money and term than Huberdeau’s, he is undoubtedly the worst of the two players right now. Because of how much less term is on his deal, it is impossible to say it’s worse, but if the term were anywhere close to Huberdeau’s, there would be a legitimate debate as to who has the uglier deal.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Rasmus Ristolainen
$5.1 million through 2026-27
Once thought of as one of the bright up-and-coming defenceman in the NHL, Rasmus Ristolainen has seen his stock fall so dramatically in recent seasons that it seems almost impossible for the Philadelphia Flyers to trade him.
Ristolainen has appeared in just seven games this season due to injury and struggled to get on the ice during that time, averaging less than 17 minutes per outing. The lesser term and lower cap hit keeps it from being as ugly as Huberdeau’s, but make no mistake, this is one of the worst contracts among all defencemen in the NHL.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Jack Campbell
$5 million through 2026-27
As far as living up to a contract, there is a real argument that no NHL player is doing a worse job than Jack Campbell. The 31-year-old netminder has been a complete disaster since signing a five-year, $25 million deal with the Edmonton Oilers, and is currently in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a result.
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While Campbell’s NHL performance this season is well below a player like Huberdeau’s, what makes his contract easier to swallow is the fact that the Oilers were able to send him to the AHL. An option like that couldn’t ever be explored with Huberdeau given his no-movement clause.
Worse Deal: Huberdeau
Huberdeau on Arguably the Worst Contract in the NHL
Debates on who has the worst contract are forever changing, as proven by Skinner, thanks to his improvement in recent seasons. The point is that there is still an opportunity for Huberdeau to improve his play and live up to his $10.5 million value. Until that improvement comes, however, he will be looked at as having one of the worst contracts in the NHL.
