Everyone is wondering what is wrong with Jonathan Huberdeau.
As written on NHLRumors.com last week something is not clicking for Huberdeau in Calgary. Everyone expected him to have this bounce-back year considering Darryl Sutter is not there anymore.
Something Is Not Working in Calgary For Jonathan Huberdeau
However, that is not the case. Huberdeau is having another down year and made headlines when he was benched during the Flames comeback against Nashville last Tuesday. After that, his production did not increase. Huberdeau was not noticeable in the game against Toronto and is still trying to find his game.
And the worst part is Huberdeau is in the first couple of months of his eight-year deal pays him $10.5 million a season. And many wondered why he would sign that deal without playing a season in Calgary. And his production dropped.
Jonathan Huberdeau went from a 115-point player to a 55-point player. But maybe Huberdeau went back to the player he really is. Maybe he is more of a 55-75-point player and not the 115-point player that he was the one year in Florida.
Prior to that season, Huberdeau’s best season prior to the 2021-22 season where he put up those 115 points, was the 2018-19 season where he put up 92 points. That season he also scored 30 goals. He did the same in the 2021-22 season. However, his previous best goal mark was 27 in 2017-18. But before that, his goal tallies ranged from 15-25.
And if you look at the point totals, Huberdeau’s dipped after that 92-point season. Granted the following two seasons were COVID shortened seasons. So in 69 games in 2019-20, he recorded 78 points (23 goals and 55 assists). So if you project 13 more games Huberdeau might hit the 90-point mark again.
Then in the 2020-21 season, Huberdeau put up 61 points (20 goals and 41 assists) in 55 games. If you project 82 games does Huberdeau get another 25 to 30 points? Maybe.
Di Marco: “What is there to do right? Like, he is not even two months into an eight-year $84 million contract. I think it averages out to 10 and a half million dollars paid to be arguably like I don’t even know if he’s the Top Paid winger in the NHL right now. No, aside from Panarin and Marner off the top of my head. He may be but he has not played anything close to it.
And one of those situations where even when he had his 100-point-plus season a few years back with Florida a lot of analytics for suggesting that maybe this wasn’t sustainable. Maybe the underlying process to his game suggested that it was going to be a one-off and 13 months into his tenure in Calgary that has certainly been the case under two head coaches.
And you saw it firsthand last night like, this guy has just not been the dynamic offensive player even close to that that we saw for all those years in Florida specifically in 21-22. So I don’t know what there is to do. I would say try and find another albatross of a contract and try and flip him for it.
But what other contract of north of 10 million per are you going to find to swap that with for someone that’s having at least somewhat of a comparable hard time as Huberdeau is a really is kind of like a unicorn of a situation right now but in all the worst ways.”
For the Flames, you hope Huberdeau figures it out, but they may have to get him a player he can play with who drives the line because he just can’t do it.
Right now, Florida GM Bill Zito looks like the smartest man in hockey and the Flames have a player searching for his game and confidence.
