Lomberg excited to rejoin Huberdeau: 'No doubt' he'll return to elite level
Not only will Ryan Lomberg return to the Calgary Flames this season, but he'll also be reuniting with former Florida Panthers teammate Jonathan Huberdeau.
"I'm excited to get back with Johnny for sure," he told NHL Network on Saturday. "There's no doubt he's one of the best players in the league. His skill is world-class, he's an amazing teammate. I'm probably most excited to get out there and cheer him on again and have ring-side seats of seeing what he's capable of, all the plays he's able to make."
Huberdeau and Lomberg played together in the Sunshine State for two seasons before the former was traded to Calgary as part of the blockbuster Matthew Tkachuk trade just over two years ago.
Lomberg got a good look at Huberdeau's capabilities in 2021-22 when the Quebec native put up a career-best 30 goals and 115 points in 80 contests.
But Huberdeau has been underwhelming in Calgary thus far. He amassed just 55 points in his first campaign north of the border and followed that up with a 52-point effort this past season.
Despite his struggles, Lomberg is confident in Huberdeau's ability to turn things around.
"There's no doubt in my mind that he's gonna get back to the level he was at," he said. "I'm excited to help be a part of that solution."
Lomberg started his NHL career with the Flames, appearing in just 11 NHL games spread over the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
The 29-year-old returns to Calgary as a Stanley Cup champion after helping the Panthers hoist the hardware this past spring. He put up seven points in 75 regular-season games while serving as a staple on the fourth line and subsequently appeared in eight playoff contests.
The Flames, meanwhile, haven't made the postseason for the past two campaigns. However, Lomberg is keeping the faith and trusting the process.
"When I first came to Florida four years ago, it's not like we were pushing to be in the finals and win a Stanley Cup," he reasoned. "I'm excited to get there, get to work, do what I have to to show this team, my teammates, that I'm gonna do anything they need me to do to help this team win."
Calgary signed Lomberg to a two-year pact with a $2-million cap hit on July 1.
Earlier this offseason, Huberdeau admitted that it was "hard to see" some of his ex-Panthers teammates win the Cup.