There’s something different about Jonathan Huberdeau this fall.
Maybe it’s because for the past three years, one of the dominant stories at Calgary Flames training camp was whether Huberdeau could get his swagger back. This fall, it’s notable how few questions about that topic are being asked.
Or maybe it’s because life changed for Huberdeau when he and his fiancee, Catherine Deslongchamps, welcomed their first child together, Jacob. It was a very different summer this year.
Or maybe it’s some combination of the two.
“It changed because usually after your training days you can go golf or relax or do whatever you want. When you have a baby, it’s all around him,” said Huberdeau, who sat out Sunday’s split-squad games against the Edmonton Oilers but was set to make his pre-season debut on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken.
“It’s fun, though, when you go away from the house and then you come back and see his face. It brings joy to your life.”
Whatever it is, Huberdeau certainly seems like he’s in a good place heading into Year 4 in Calgary. A part of that is undoubtedly because of the way he played last season as he embraced a new role and showed off a more well-rounded game.
Jonathan Huberdeau stats
Huberdeau scored 28 goals and added 34 assists, making it his most productive season with the Flames. No, those numbers are nowhere near the 115 points he put up with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22, the season before he was traded alongside MacKenzie Weegar in the deal that sent Matthew Tkachuk the other way.
But the Flames weren’t asking the 32-year-old to put up a world-beating points total. Head coach Ryan Huska wanted him to work on other areas of his game and be a better defensive player.
And Huberdeau responded. It was almost like the Flames got Jonathan Huberdeau 2.0.
If they get that same player in 2025-26, everybody’s happy.
“More of the same and, just like we’ve asked all of our players, there is another level,” Huska said. “When you look at him offensively, the way he played the game last year, for me, is the right way. If he stays with that it’s going to lead to more offence so I think we’ll see some inflated total there for him.
“He’s a really good teammate, wants to win, wants to be a guy who can help you win in all situations and because he’s playing that way now, I think you’re going to see a little bit more (offence) for him this year, too.”
Calgary Flames forwards from left; Jonathan Huberdeau, Matt Coronato and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar jostle for the puck along the boards.
There will be lots of people who judge Huberdeau’s points totals against his eight-year contract that kicked in at the start of the 2023-24 season and pays him US$10.5 million annually. He’s the most expensive player on the Flames roster and that carries certain expectations with it.
But that pressure is external. Inside the Saddledome, the Flames themselves were pleased with the way Huberdeau evolved his game last year and became a player they could rely on at both ends of the ice.
His teammates jokingly called him a “power forward” and it was a label Huberdeau embraced. It didn’t mean he went and bulked up this off-season, but he’s content scoring greasy goals by camping himself in front of the crease if that’s what’s needed.
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“I’m going to approach this year the same way,” Huberdeau explained. “Be good defensively and I think the offence is still going to be there. Obviously, I had 28 goals, it wasn’t bad, but you want to produce more offence. Our team didn’t score that many goals, so we want to score more.
“I want to be physical and have an all-round game. That was the recipe for me for last year being a little more successful in a Flames uniform.”