The Calgary Flames are in a precarious place as a franchise.
General manager Craig Conroy has been rebuilding the roster since taking over in 2023, prioritizing young players and draft picks. At the same time, we’ve seen some of the Flames’ own young talent make their mark at the NHL level, eventually rewarded with long-term extensions.
It has the feel of a rebuild that’s working its way through, but with several veteran players tied up on big contracts, Calgary has remained competitive, which has led to much higher finishes in the standings than you’ve come to expect from a team in transition.
One of those veterans locked in on a long-term deal is Jonathan Huberdeau, the main piece of the return package that sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida. Huberdeau’s time in Calgary has not gone according to plan, and he’s drawn plenty of criticism for his underperformance.
Given that, when the star winger recently joked about skipping practice, the reaction from hockey fans was quite mixed. Here are Huberdeau’s original comments.
“Yeah, just woke up, didn’t feel like skating, so I didn’t skate; that’s what happened,” Huberdeau said.
Oh man we’re in for a rough season pic.twitter.com/ekBYVYI5rH
— Adam 🦇 (@TkachukYou_) September 20, 2025
Some were fans of the humor, while others didn’t find it so funny.
“Huby 110 pt season incoming,” one fan wrote on X.
“Got the bag and an early retirement,” another fan wrote.
“This guys makes 10.5. Jesus,” another fan added.
The 32-year-old Huberdeau still has six years remaining on the eight-year, $84 million extension he signed with the Flames upon being acquired from the Panthers in 2022.
Huberdeau needs to build on last season
The 2024-25 season was Jonathan Huberdeau’s best as a Calgary Flame, by far, and they need him to build on it heading into 2025-26.
Huberdeau tallied 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) in 81 games last season, besting his first two years in Calgary, where he was held to 55 and 52 points, respectively.
More importantly, he nearly doubled his goal total and seemed to regain his confidence, developing more of a power forward style of game.
His comments about taking a maintenance day were clearly a joke, but when your play on the ice has not come close to expectations, fans aren’t going to be so amused by it. Huberdeau has to prove 2024-25 was not a fluke and that he can be an important piece to the puzzle for the Flames while he remains in town.
