Flames Lock Up Huberdeau with Massive Extension
The Calgary Flames and Jonathan Huberdeau are going to be together for a long time.
Calgary acquired Huberdeau from the Florida Panthers in July in a deal that stunned the hockey world. Of course, MacKenzie Weegar, among other pieces, came with him, while Matthew Tkachuk made his way to Sunrise.
Fans wondered whether or not Huberdeau’s long-term future would involve the Flames, as the departures of Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau made the team’s path forward unclear. That question has been answered with a resounding yes.
On Thursday, the 29-year-old signed an eight-year extension with his new club that will be worth $10.5 million per season. The contract will kick in at the beginning of the 2023-2024 season after he plays this upcoming campaign on the final year of his current deal.
The Flames have signed Huberdeau to a monster extension.
Last season, Huberdeau finished tied for second in the NHL with 115 points (30 goals and 85 assists) while helping the Panthers win the Presidents’ Trophy and win a playoff series for the first time in years.
In his 671-game career, the 2011 third overall pick has racked up 198 goals and 415 assists for 613 points. He has also chipped in 21 points in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
For the Flames, simply acquiring Huberdeau after losing two key pieces of last season’s Pacific Division-winning roster was a huge win. Even when the major players added in the deal were potentially going to be rentals, it was a massive return that kept Calgary relevant.
Now that one of those players is locked up long-term, the Flames can feel comfortable with where they are moving forward. They have their new cornerstone in place, the Tkachuk deal officially feels like a major win, and things are looking up in Calgary.
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Huberdeau by no means fills every void left by Calgary’s departed players, but with an eight-year extension in place, the Flames can take comfort in knowing that they’ve got plenty of time to iron out the kinks and compete for the Stanley Cup for years to come.