Flames lock up Jonathan Huberdeau with massive new deal
Anthony Scultore
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The Calgary Flames were not going to let newly acquired forward Jonathan Huberdeau get away.
It’s been a difficult summer for GM Brad Treliving as he watched Johnny Gaudreau leave for less money to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. That was followed by being forced to trade Matthew Tkachuk after learning he would not sign long-term in Calgary.
In that deal with the Florida Panthers, the Flames landed Huberdeau, along with defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
“We are excited to extend Jonathan long term in Calgary,” Treliving said in a press release. “He is an elite player, one of the premier forwards in the league who makes players around him better. We look forward to welcoming Jonathan to our community and his contributions to our team’s success.”
Flames sign Jonathan Huberdeau
Huberdeau, 29, scored a career high 115 points in 80 games last season while matching his career best of 30 goals. For his career, he’s registered 613 points in 671 contests over 10 NHL seasons.
Almost as soon as the deal was done, Treliving went to work on extending Hunerdeau, who had one year remaining on his contract for $5.9 million.
“I still have one more year left on my contract,” Huberdeau said after the trade. “I’m open to staying with the Flames, but at the end of the day, it’s not my decision. It’s my general manager and agent who work this out. You want to play for a team that wants you, and that’s all I want.”
And boy did the Flames want him.
Late on Thursday night, Calgary signed him to an 8-year deal with an AAV of $10.5 million. Furthermore, the structure of the deal is heavy on signing bonuses and comes with a full no-move clause for the first six years. In the final two years of the contract it becomes a modified no-trade clause.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Calgary Flames organization long-term,” Huberdeau said on the Flames website. “I’m excited for this new chapter and I am committed to this team. I’ll give everything I have, on and off the ice and I can’t wait to play in front of the passionate Flames fans.”
Calgary has been busy of late, signing restricted free agents Andrew Mangiapane and Oliver Kylington. Their focus will now shift to extending Weegar.
“Obviously I’m excited that we could get a three-year deal done,” Mangiapane said via NHL.com. “I wanted to stay in Calgary longer. Obviously we’ve got some new pieces and some guys left, but I’m still excited about our team. I think we can be in the mix to finish atop the division. I really do.”