Huska expects to see 'different,' 'reenergized' Huberdeau next season
Jonathan Huberdeau had a disappointing first season in Calgary, but new Flames head coach Ryan Huska is confident he'll get more out of the forward in 2023-24.
"He is an excellent hockey player. You don't get to the level of play that he's achieved by accident," Huska told TSN's Salim Valji shortly after his introductory presser Monday. "He's going to come back this year, and I think he's going to be really reenergized. We're gonna see - I don't necessarily want to see a different version of Jonathan, but one that I feel is going to be a lot more comfortable.
"When you take all the moving out of the equation - new teammates, new style of playing, new city - that's hard on a guy. But now all those distractions are out of the way, and that's one of the reasons why we'll see a different Jonathan Huberdeau this year."
The Flames acquired Huberdeau as part of last summer's blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.
Expectations were high with Huberdeau coming off a 115-point season, and he signed an eight-year, $84-million extension with his new team before the 2022-23 campaign began.
But the Flames didn't get the same Huberdeau who finished second in the Art Ross Trophy race just one season prior.
| Season | GP | G | A | P | P/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 80 | 30 | 85 | 115 | 1.44 |
| 2022-23 | 79 | 15 | 40 | 55 | 0.70 |
Huberdeau struggled to adjust to his new surroundings and revealed in early May that he and former Flames bench boss Darryl Sutter "really didn't click."
"There were a lot of factors. There was a big difference in points between my last two years," he said at the time. "And the style of play he wanted to play, it didn't fit my style."
Huberdeau added that a new coach would help him rediscover his game and confidence.
The Flames fired Sutter this spring after finishing two points out of a playoff spot. Sutter won the 2022 Jack Adams Award as the league's best head coach after leading Calgary to a first-place finish in the Pacific Division.
Huska spent the last five seasons as an assistant on the Flames' coaching staff before earning a promotion.
After announcing his hiring, general manager Craig Conroy hailed Huska as "a clear communicator who builds trust with his players."