In his second season with the Flames, Jonathan Huberdeau hoped to start on a new footing with the arrival of a new head coach in Ryan Huska and a new general manager in Craig Conroy.
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But there is still no happy marriage between Huberdeau and the Flames. On the eve of a game against the Canadiens at the Bell Center, the left winger put up numbers that had nothing to do with the star player he was with the Florida Panthers.
In 14 games since the start of the year, Huberdeau has scored two goals and had five assists for a modest total of seven points. He also has a differential of -13, the worst performance on the Flames.
And in his last ten games, the Quebec native has only put his name on the scoresheet three times (3 assists).
Still in the thick of the storm, reinforced by watching his teammates on the bench during the third period of a game against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 7, Huberdeau is now clinging to one simple thing.
“It’s just about finding the passion again,” he told Montreal reporters after the Flames’ practice at the Bell Center on Monday. You have to have fun and remember that you have been playing this game since childhood. You have to go back to basics. For me this is it. I have to work. I will never give up and I know it will come back.”
A shattered self-confidence
At age 30, Huberdeau is showing signs of being a declining winger. He experienced a drastic decline over the past two seasons, going from 115 points in his final year with the Panthers to just 55 points in his only season under Darryl Sutter.
If he continues at the same pace, he would finish the 2023-2024 season with 41 points. That would be a far cry from the stats of a player earning 10.5 million this year and the following seven years.
“Confidence is a big thing in all of this,” No. 10 explained. “I believe the numbers will come when confidence returns. “I have to take it day by day and work hard. »
“I have the talent, it’s just a matter of finding that little something that I’m missing. »
To add insult to injury, the Flames are off to a terrible start with a 4-8-2 record.
“When the team is doing poorly, you blame yourself even more because you convince yourself that if you don’t play well, you’re affecting the whole team,” he replied. It brings with it additional weight. We are together, the boys are with me and the chemistry between us is right. They want me to be good, and so do I. When I walk into this locker room, I want to be a player you can rely on. »
A story from the past
There was a lot of talk in Calgary and around the NHL last week about Huska’s decision to leave his star player out for an entire period against the Predators.
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After games in Toronto and Ottawa in recent days, Huska expected a return to that theme. The same goes for Huberdeau.
“We spoke after that game,” said the St-Jérôme winger. I wasn’t happy not to be third, but we won the game. I’ve put that behind me, I don’t want to worry about it too much. »
“Jonathan is a very good player and an important part of our team,” added Huska, a rookie head coach at the NHL level. If he moves his feet and controls the puck, he’s a player. It will come back. »
“We have to build relationships with our players,” he continued. Unfortunately, that’s something you never want to see (leaving a player on the bench for a while). You don’t want to put a player in that situation. But sometimes you have to make a decision like that to win a game. The players don’t give top performances every night. Whether you’re Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, or Jonathan Huberdeau, you can have a foul game in your body. »
Since Sunday in Montreal, Huberdeau took the opportunity to spend time with his family and friends.
“When things are going well, it’s easy to give up,” he remembers. I face adversity. It’s part of life. It’s just a matter of how you get through it. I won’t give up, I’ll fight it. »
For the game against CH, Huberdeau will be on the left wing of the third line alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman.