Flames Holiday Break Review: Jonathan Huberdeau

With the NHL holiday break starting early for the Calgary Flames, we're looking at each and every member of the franchise and what their season has been like so far. Today, we're profiling Jonathan Huberdeau.

There are no grades — this isn't high school — but these quick-and-dirty glimpses into their season illustrate where they're at ahead of the calendar flip from 2024 to 2025.

Name: Jonathan Huberdeau

Position: Left wing

Stats: 13 g, 12 a, 25 pts, 3 PPG, 8 PPP, 1 SHG, 60 SOG, 21.7 SH%

Summary: Jonathan Huberdeau has had a bounce-back season so far. Maybe not as big a rebound as many Calgary Flames fans hoped for, but it's the best he's looked as a member of the franchise.

His 13 goals equals latest linemate Nazem Kadri for the team lead. Huberdeau's 25 points is tops for the Flames so far. The production is far from the career high of 115 points he put up in his final season with the Florida Panthers before the blockbuster Matthew Tkachuk trade. However, it's the most comfortable, confident and consistent he's looked in Flames silks.

During a season that has seen the Flames struggle mightily with offensive production, Huberdeau has led the way, and his recent chemistry with Kadri has made things very interesting in the top nine — offering an alternative top line to the Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman, Matt Coronato trio, and allowing the latter to manage the toughest shutdown matchups and create mismatches for the former.

Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska said he sees the "swagger" back for Huberdeau.

"The way he ended last year, there seemed to be a little bit of swagger back in his game; he’s got that again now," Huska told reporters recently. "I think he’s enjoying who he’s playing with right now. He feels like he can impact a game again, the way he knows that he can.

"What I like about him over the last couple of years is he has really committed to his play away from the puck. I think he’s a really good, all-around player now. It’s nice to see him getting rewarded again with some points, too, because that’s important for him as well."

He may never reach elite offensive status again, but Huberdeau has become one of the key factors in determining whether the Flames can win on any given night.