[FlamesAddiction]

Huberdeau's point totals were probably exaggerated being on the Panthers. On an average team, he was probably more of an 80-90 point player. A really good player of course. Getting 115 points last season on the high flying Panthers was probably not something that was going to be repeated anywhere else. That was also his 28/29 year old season, which is within the time frame most forwards peak, but probably more on the later side of the curve. This year is his 29/30 year old season and it is not uncommon at all to see player production start to decline at this point. It varies from player to player of course, but most aren't going to be matching career years at this point.

So if you take that skill-wise, he is an 80-90 point player on most teams (which is just my opinion, feel free to disagree), a drop of to the 60-70 point range is not that crazy. You see it happen with players all the time in their later prime. Maybe he is a guy like Patrick Elias, who had a few PPG seasons including one just shy of 100 points (played in a lower scoring time), but then fell of a small cliff and became a perennial 50-60 point player at around the same age.

The thing that sucks is that the Flames are going to be paying the price of a 100+ point season. Basically, they are subsidizing his salary for success he had in Florida. It feels real bad knowing we are paying him at that rate for the next 8 years after this season.

I really do hope I am wrong. I was optimistic about him at the start of the season, but he hasn't given us any reason to be now. Maybe he pulls an Erik Karlsson and completely turns it around. We really have no choice but to hope for the best at this point.