The 2023-24 season was a down year for Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau. Putting that season in the rearview mirror, the forward will look to bounce back in a big way. Here’s what lies ahead for Flames’ Huberdeau entering the 2024-25 season.
Defining a Successful Season for Flames Forward Huberdeau
The Beginning
Jonathan Huberdeau joined the Calgary Flames during a blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers. Shortly after the trade, Huberdeau signed an 8-year $84 million contract. Huberdeau was coming off a career year that saw him post 115 points, including a league-leading 85 assists. In addition to coming a strong year, Huberdeau had scored at over a point-per-game pace for the previous 4 seasons. He was one of the top left-wingers in the league and the Flames were hopeful he could be a replacement to Johnny Gaudreau who had left in free agency. Despite losing two of their best players, the Flames made their best effort to retool. They had hopes of being competitive with Huberdeau as the centrepiece of their plans.
A Rocky Start
Unfortunately, Huberdeau and the Flames’ plans to be competitive in 2022 went up in smoke. Huberdeau got off to a shaky start that season. He struggled to find chemistry and bounced around the lineup. He reportedly clashed with head coach Daryl Sutter. His lack of production combined with the team’s lack of success started to boil over. This was brought into public view when Huberdeau’s agent Allen Walsh tweeted about negativity in the Flames room.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Also, negativity sucks the joy right out of players. cc: @NHLFlames
— Allan Walsh? (@walsha) February 17, 2023
Huberdeau would finish his first season in Calgary with 50 fewer points than the previous year, and the Flames would miss the playoffs. That offseason was a wild one in Calgary. Rumours of multiple players asking for trades would eventually lead to Daryl Sutter being fired. However, before he was let go, the Flames also elected to part ways with their general manager Brad Treliving. Heading into Huberdeau’s second season there was a lot of unknown.
Craig Conroy would be named the new general manager of the Calgary Flames and hired new head coach Ryan Huska. The Flames did their best to shake off the negativity heading into the 2023-2024 season. The hope was a fresh start was all the Flames and Huberdeau needed to get back on track.
Unfortunately, the new season yielded similar results for Huberdeau. He struggled to find great chemistry with anyone in particular on the Flames and juggled linemates for most of the season. In addition to Huberdeau’s continued struggles, the Flames would trade off significant members of their team and begin the process of a rebuild. Though the vibes in Calgary were better, the results were much the same. The Flames missed the playoffs and Huberdeau finished with just 52 points, two fewer than the season prior.
The case can now be made that Jonathan Huberdeau’s contract is the worst in the entire NHL. He has 7 years remaining on his current contract, with a cap hit of $10.5 million per season and a full no-movement clause.
Redefining Success for Huberdeau
It’s easy to look back at the disappointment that Huberdeau’s time in Calgary has been to this point. However, the reality is Huberdeau will be part of this Flames team for the foreseeable future. So let’s redefine how we look at Huberdeau and what it will take for him to have a successful season this year.
It’s clear that the 115-point campaign of 2021-2022 was a career year, and won’t be replicated. There’s nothing wrong with this, but the goal for Huberdeau and the Flames should be to get him closer to a point-per-game player. Anything over 70 points this year should be considered successful.
In addition to simply putting up points, Huberdeau has to step up as a leader. The Flames have moved out a lot of veterans in the last year, and rumours are swirling around Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri. If more veterans move out, Huberdeau will have to take on more of a leadership role. As the Flames rebuild their roster Huberdeau can help guide and shape the young roster.
Lastly, Huberdeau needs to get back to enjoying the game. After what appeared to be the most miserable year of his career in 2022-2023, he seemed to take a step back to enjoying the game last season. Huberdeau must continue to find positivity in his game and bring the right attitude to the rink, regardless of his personal results. As a key player for this franchise, he can set the Flames culture. He can keep the locker room from getting into a negative state even when wins are hard to come by.
If Huberdeau can accomplish some of the goals listed above, it will be easier for fans to look past the contract and see him as a positive player for the franchise.
Main Photo: David Gonzales-USA TODAY Sports
