Can Jonathan Huberdeau Bounce Back in 2024-25?

(Jonathan Huberdeau 82 game point pace since the 2018-19 season)

Based on an 82 game point projection, Huberdeau has gone from putting up a 118 points in the 2021-22 season to 52 in the 2023-24 season. A drop of 66 points!

No one saw this coming when the Flames made the trade for Huberdeau, subsequently signing him to an eight year, $84M contract.

There are a lot of excuses you could make for Huberdeau as to why his play has fallen off a cliff. He’s still not over being traded from a team where he thought he was going to be a Panther for life. His style of play doesn’t fit in with the Flames systems. He hasn’t been able to find chemistry with any new teammates. He’s completely lost his confidence and swagger.

Those are all very real struggles for someone to go through when they’re in a situation where they aren’t themselves. And I do feel for Huberdeau in that regard.

But it’s time to put all that aside and move on. This is going to be Huberdeau’s third year with the Flames organization. He knows the city. He knows the organization. He has a good relationship with his teammates. Now is the time for him to break out and get back to being closer to the player he was in Florida.

Did he show any signs of life last season? Let’s take a look at some numbers.

October through December was a disaster for Huberdeau. He scored four goals and 16 points in his first 36 games of the season. That’s a nine goal, 36 point pace over 82 games. He was also a team worst -15.

But he did start to turn things around in 2024.

In 45 games, Huberdeau put up eight goals and 28 assists. That’s a 15 goal, 51 assist, and 66 point pace over 82 games. Which is by far his highest level of production as a member of the Flames over a long stretch of games.

The production drastically increased in the second half of the season. And those numbers could have gone up had he got some more finishing help from his teammates. Huberdeau made a lot of plays to his linemates who were in a position to score but weren’t able to put the puck in the back of the net.

You could also tell that Huberdeau was looking a little more confident as the season progressed. He was making more high end plays and looking like he was enjoying himself on the ice again which is important in a sport where confidence is key in the success of skilled players.

There are some reasons to believe Huberdeau can bounce back. He finished last season strong. The Flames brought in his buddy, Anthony Mantha who he trains with in the off-season. Mantha is a sniper in every sense of the word. The Flames are hoping he and Huberdeau can play on the same line and build some chemistry. On top of that it’s Huberdeau’s third year with the team. All the excuses of him getting used to the city, coaching, and organization as a whole are over.

This is the year for Huberdeau to step up and become at least a 70 point player. There is a lot going his way as we head into training camp next month. He’s also not getting any younger as he heads into his 31 year old season. It’s up to him to capitalize on all that and become the difference maker Flames fans thought they were getting in 2022.