{"id":459790,"date":"2025-01-01T11:57:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T16:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=459790"},"modified":"2025-01-01T11:57:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T16:57:15","slug":"former-all-star-regaining-form-calgary-flames-2024-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/01\/01\/former-all-star-regaining-form-calgary-flames-2024-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Former All-Star Regaining Form in Calgary"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the <\/span>Calgary Flames<\/span><\/a> acquired <\/span>Jonathan Huberdeau<\/span><\/a> from the <\/span>Florida Panthers<\/span><\/a> in the 2022 offseason they thought they were getting an elite playmaker and perennial 100-point player. Instead, they got what has since become one of the worst contracts in the entire NHL. In Huberdeau’s first season in Calgary, he recorded just 55 points, a massive 60-point drop from the season prior. In his second season in Calgary, he recorded even fewer points, with just 52 total. As his third season in Calgary approached most people viewed Huberdeau as an un-tradable contract and nothing more. However, through the Flames’ first 37 games this season, Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Flames in scoring, and his stats for 2024-25 are better than recent seasons, and he seems to have regained some confidence. Therefore, let’s dive into what could contribute to Huberdeau’s recent success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting Comfortable Boosting Jonathan Huberdeau’s 2024-25 Stats<\/span><\/h3>\n

During his first two seasons in Calgary, everyone was trying to figure out why Huberdeau struggled so much. There was tension with his head coach Daryl Sutter, complaints of him playing on the wrong wing, and excuses around learning to play a new system with new teammates. Heading into his second season the Flames brought in a new coach and many fans hoped this would lead to a big year for Huberdeau. However, he continued to struggle and never looked comfortable. He struggled to find chemistry with his teammates and was constantly being shuffled around in hopes he’d find a home.<\/span><\/p>\n

This season Huberdeau has looked a lot more comfortable. He started <\/span>off<\/span> the season with five points in the first two games, which might have helped his confidence. Though more important than the points Huberdeau showed some intensity and passion in the first game against the Vancouver Canucks. This passion was something we hadn’t seen much of from Huberdeau in his first two seasons in Calgary. During the first Flames’ losing streak of the season, Huberdeau looked far less engaged, but since then he’s been more involved. He’s shown more physicality and intensity this season and seems <\/span>to be<\/span> genuinely invested in the Flames success. Perhaps it just took some time for Huberdeau to adjust after moving from Florida, his home for the first ten seasons of his NHL career. His newfound comfort in Calgary has finally extended to some chemistry with his teammates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creating Chemistry<\/span><\/h3>\n

This December has been one of Huberdeau’s best months as a Flame. He’s recorded 13 points in the first 11 games and has found chemistry on a line alongside <\/span>Nazem Kadri<\/span><\/a>. Kadri and Huberdeau are currently 1-2 in Flames scoring, with 26 and 29, respectively. Furthermore, they have been the club’s two most consistent offensive contributors since joining forces. As a line Huberdeau, Kardi, and <\/span>Martin Pospisil<\/span><\/a> are averaging <\/span>4.44 goals <\/span>for<\/span> per 60 minutes<\/span><\/a>. This is the highest rate for the Flames recently, and second best all season. Their line has been the only line consistently scoring goals for a team that has struggled to create offence all season <\/span>long<\/span>. This chemistry could be a big difference-maker heading towards the second half of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kadri and Huberdeau had been put on a line in Huberdeau’s first season in Calgary but failed to find success. However, this time around things are clicking. A big reason for this success could be Huberdeau’s ability to adjust his style of play in his third season in Calgary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonathan Huberdeau Reimagining His Game Evidenced by His 2024-25 Stats<\/h3>\n

Huberdeau was known in Florida for his elite passing and playmaking. He created chances off the rush using his speed and skating in a wide-open style of play. Since arriving in Calgary, Huberdeau’s game never seemed to fit. Calgary plays a much more structured game than Florida <\/span>did<\/span> during Huberdeau’s best NHL season. They also don’t have as many elite offensive players to pass too. During his first two seasons, Huberdeau was often criticized for overpassing and trying to make the perfect play. This season, Huberdeau has changed his game.<\/span><\/p>\n

He currently leads the team with 16 goals and is on pace to score 35 goals, which would be his highest total <\/span>ever<\/span> in the NHL. Huberdeau is shooting the puck more and <\/span>is also<\/span> finding himself in front of the net more consistently. In his early days in Calgary, Huberdeau played too much on the outside. He was looking to create from the half wall and shooting pucks from distance. This season, he’s driving to the front of the net and scoring goals by tipping in pucks and punching home rebounds. His willingness to go to the tough areas is an evolution in his game not many saw coming. This evolution has been a big factor in his goal-scoring this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

All Signs Point To a Successful Season<\/span><\/h3>\n

Although we aren’t <\/span>quite<\/span> halfway through the NHL season, we’re nearly there. The stats for first half of 2024-25 for <\/span>Jonathan Huberdeau<\/span><\/a> wasn’t perfect by any means, but with his adjustments to his game and newfound chemistry, Huberdeau is on pace to have his best season in Calgary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Huberdeau may never reach the 100-point plateau again, but as we discussed heading into the season, it’s time to <\/span>redefine how success for Huberdeau<\/span><\/a> is measured. Right now, Huberdeau is on pace for a 64-point season. However, this month has been his best and if he can continue this pace, he has a great chance of breaking 70 points. This would be 15 points better than his best season as a Flame. Combining this increased offensive output with some of his improved defensive play and leadership are making him a major factor in the Flames’ success, and who knows, maybe by the end of the season his <\/span>contract won’t be considered the worst<\/span><\/a> in the NHL.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the Calgary Flames acquired Jonathan Huberdeau from the Florida Panthers in the 2022 offseason they thought they were getting an elite playmaker and perennial 100-point player. Instead, they got what has since become one of the worst contracts in the entire NHL. In Huberdeau’s first season in Calgary, he recorded just 55 points, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5244,"featured_media":453243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22,4547,4548],"tags":[103,306,235],"class_list":["post-459790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flames","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-calgary-flames","tag-jonathan-huberdeau","tag-nazem-kadri"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5244"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=459790"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459853,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459790\/revisions\/459853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=459790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=459790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=459790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}