The Calgary Flames are in an fascinating place heading into the 2024-25 season. Followers need to have hope as they’ve a robust ahead core that might be playoff-bound, however they’ve failed to seek out any success as a gaggle since they shuffled up their roster which began with the huge Matthew Tkachuk commerce with the Florida Panthers again in 2022. The important thing return piece of that huge deal was ahead Jonathan Huberdeau, who was coming off of a 110-point season and appeared to provide the Flames a large edge when it comes to who ended up profitable the commerce. In hindsight, the Panthers got here out on high as Tkachuk has elevated his recreation to a different stage and was a large a part of their first Stanley Cup in franchise historical past final season.
Associated: Flames Ought to Goal 3 Veteran Goaltenders in Trades
The Flames additionally obtained defender MacKenzie Weegar within the deal, who has been stable, however declined fairly a bit compared to how he was taking part in earlier than he left the Panthers. On the time, the Flames thought of themselves robust contenders and after they misplaced the late Johnny Gaudreau in free company when he selected to signal with the Columbus Blue Jackets simply days after the commerce went by, they signed Nazem Kadri to an enormous seven-year contract in hopes he might tackle among the offensive accountability after he had performed an enormous function within the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup win in 2022.
Sadly, not one of the gamers they introduced in have panned out how they hoped. Kadri, Huberdeau, and Weegar have been good, however haven’t fairly discovered that elite type they’d with their earlier groups. Many followers across the league consider Huberdeau’s huge eight-year extension he signed after becoming a member of the Flames is the worst-valued contract within the NHL. His common annual worth sits at $10.5 million, making him one of many highest-paid gamers in all the league.
In a latest article posted by Sportsnet, Huberdeau made it clear he was poised to seek out his outdated type that followers keep in mind and love, with an altered summer season program explaining he labored on his velocity to try to sustain with a youthful league. Whereas it appears his confidence was shot when he was traded from the Panthers, he could lastly have an opportunity to showcase himself and bounce again with an elevated function because the Flames enter a brutal rebuild that can lengthen over a number of seasons.
Huberdeau Might Present Management to Younger Flames Lineup
The Flames will seemingly be shifting in the direction of a youth motion over the subsequent couple of seasons, which permits Huberdeau to offer management as a veteran to younger weapons who the Flames hope can grow to be full-time NHL gamers by the point they’re in playoff rivalry once more. Gamers like Jakob Pelletier, Andrew Basha, Parker Bell, and Lucas Ciona, who all might push to make the Flames’ lineup full-time over the subsequent couple of seasons might study loads from Huberdeau, who has been within the league for some time and was at one time thought of the very best playmaker within the league.
Huberdeau is just not a foul participant by any means, however his decline has been painful for Flames followers who hoped he might assist carry them again to the postseason, and he merely hasn’t slot in effectively. Nonetheless, he can nonetheless produce effectively offensively and performs a robust defensive recreation. With some added confidence and fewer stress on a rebuilding group, he has been arrange for achievement by the Flames’ teaching workers who appear ready to place him in a management function each on and off the ice.
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