Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau is in a bit of a funk.
The 31-year-old has just one point over his last five games, a goal scored against the Carolina Hurricanes last week. He remains tied for second in team scoring with seven points, but this recent slump has many tempering expectations on what appeared to finally be a bounce-back season.
Huberdeau had seemingly turned back the clock to begin the 2024-25 campaign, registering three goals and six points through the Flames’ first four games of the season.
“I think it’s the best I’ve felt the past two years,” Huberdeau said early in the season. “It’s early, but I was feeling good coming into training camp. I worked really hard this summer to be able to [be] at my best.”
His seven points in nine games still look relatively decent, though four of those points came in the second game of the season versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Over the other eight outings, he’s managed just three.
If Huberdeau had been producing at a solid rate since joining the Flames, this little slump would be of no concern. After all, even the best players go through rough patches. Based on his totals over the past two seasons, however, you can understand why fans are hesitant as to what he’ll provide moving forward.
After a 115-point season in his final year with the Florida Panthers, Huberdeau has managed 55 and 52-point campaigns with the Flames. While one bad season can be forgiven, two down years in a row have led many to doubt that he can ever get back to the player he once was.
The one thing going for Huberdeau in all of this is that it’s been proven he plays a big role in his team’s success. The Flames started out 4-0-0 thanks to his hot play out of the gate, but have gone just 1-3-1 amidst his struggles.
Fans will hope that he can put in a big performance tonight against the Utah Hockey Club to help the Flames snap a three-game losing streak.
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