The Calgary Flames and star forward Jonathan Huberdeau have agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension worth $84 million. The deal carries an average annual value of $10.5 million.
Huberdeau was acquired by the Flames along with MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a conditional 2025 first-round pick in the blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers on July 22. Huberdeau expressed his desire to stay with the Flames long-term shortly after the trade, and Calgary clearly felt the same way.
The Quebec native was entering the final season of a six-year, $35.4-million deal that paid him just under $6 million annually.
Huberdeau had a career-high 115 points last season, including an NHL-best 85 assists. Those numbers resulted in a fifth-place finish in Hart Trophy voting. The 29-year-old has played 671 games over his NHL career — all with the Panthers — registering 198 goals and 415 assists.
The signing marks the latest turn in what has been a tumultuous summer for the Flames. Franchise winger Johnny Gaudreau opted to snub Calgary for Columbus in free agency, leaving significant money on the table in the process. It was reported Gaudreau turned down the exact same contract from the Flames that Huberdeau ended up signing.
Shortly after Gaudreau’s decision, Tkachuk informed the Flames he was not interested in sticking around long-term, prompting the franchise to trade him to Florida.
Flames general manager Brad Treliving has managed to salvage a summer that seemed destined to be a massive failure by securing Huberdeau through the 2030-31 campaign. Instead of a rebuild, Calgary still features a roster that should once again be in the mix for the playoffs.
The Flames won the Pacific Division in 2021-22 with 111 points. They were ultimately eliminated by the rival Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the postseason.
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