Jonathan Huberdeau’s career with the Calgary Flames did not start well. Over his first two seasons, Huberdeau totaled 27 goals and 107 points in 160 games.
That's an impressive amount for most players, but most players do not get paid $10.5 million per year. The Flames and their fans expected more from Huberdeau, who had 30 goals and 115 points in 80 games during his MVP-level final season with the Florida Panthers.
As Flames coach Ryan Huska put it earlier this week, Huberdeau seems to have rediscovered his “offensive swagger.” Huberdeau already has surpassed his Flames' single-season high in goals with 16 through 38 games, putting him on pace for a career-best 34.
“He’s such a tremendous player, and to see him get out of his shell a bit and just go out and play and play with his swagger and his intelligence, it’s great to see,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund told reporters. “He’s a big key for our group. We need him to play that way. We need him to be driving this team, and that’s what he’s been doing.”
Huberdeau’s 24.6 shooting clip, which is nearly double his career average (12.6 per cent), suggests he will regress at some point. But the way he is scoring could prolong his hot streak. Fourteen of Huberdeau’s 16 goals have come from the inner slot, second only to Winnipeg’s Gabe Vilardi (16). Huberdeau’s average goal distance (excluding two empty-netters) is 10.6 feet, which ranks ninth out of the 134 NHL players who have scored at least 10 goals this season.
“(My teammates) call me ‘Johnny Power Forward’ now,” Huberdeau told reporters recently.
Calgary has found something in the combination of Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil. Since Huska put those forwards together a month ago, they have outscored opponents 10-7 (9-6 at five-on-five) and generated 58.3 per cent of the expected goals at even strength over the past 13 games. Cycle scoring chances are 23-7 in the Flames’ favour at five-on-five with that line on the ice during that span.
Whenever Huska has been asked about Huberdeau, he has made sure to mention the forward’s improved play on the defensive side of the puck.
Although no one will ever confuse Huberdeau for a Selke Trophy candidate, he has made modest gains in that facet of his game. Huberdeau makes 4.16 defensive plays per game, which include blocked passes and stick checks, among other things. He finished at 3.57 per game last season.
Huska has also put Huberdeau on the penalty-killing unit, where he is averaging 52 seconds of shorthanded ice time per game — the second-highest total of his 13-year career. (He played a total of 3:15 on the penalty kill last season.)
Huberdeau is one of the league’s top forwards this season at recovering loose pucks in the defensive zone while shorthanded, averaging 1.22 per two minutes. That ranks sixth out of 165 forwards with at least 30 minutes of penalty-killing time.
“I do feel like he’s a better overall player,” Huska told reporters. “You can see now that the win is the most important thing to him. If it means I’m going to kill penalties now, I’ll kill penalties. I think that’s one thing that’s (stood) out for me about him. … Now, it’s about trying to help the team win instead of maybe getting all those points, and I have a lot of appreciation for how he’s gone about his business that way.”
Calgary is on the edge of the Western Conference playoff race nearly halfway through the season, which was unexpected in October. Huberdeau’s resurgence has played a big part in that.
“I feel like I’m at my best ever,” Huberdeau told reporters. “Especially on the other side of the puck. I’ve never really been the best at that, and I take pride in that. I’m having way more fun.”
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