Huberdeau just isn't the kind of player that opens up space himself. He relies on other players pressure the opposition and carry the puck, then he capitalizes on opportunities. He plays like guy who doesn't want the puck or the responsibility. Bennett and Duclair were always buzzing around taking attention off Huberdeau. The Flames expected Huberdeau to be the guy to drive the ship and make his line mates better, but I think this was a miscalculation. It's notable that Bennett's PPG production has barely changed this season without Huberdeau. The 0.06 PPG difference could easily be attributed to season-to-season variation.
If the Flames do go ahead with Huberdeau, and it's likely not a choice at this point, they need to find the kinds of players that can do main work for him. It's a shame, because players like that shouldn't be getting $10.5 million per season, but it is what it is now. It's also a shame, because guys like Lindholm, Kadri, Mangiapane and Toffoli should be better on paper than what he worked with in Florida. Honestly, Huberdeau is too high maintenance. He had a perfect situation in Florida and it was unlikely to playout the same way anywhere else.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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