Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
From 2019-2022 he was 11th in Even Strength point in the NHL with 121, one behind Tkachuk at 122, and 8 behind Gaudreau who had 129. Barkov was 25th with 105 points.
Once again he has been terrible for the Flames, but no reason to start all this revisionist history that somehow he was a terrible player for the Panthers.
He was a top 10 winger in the league for the Panthers and was an elite point producer at 5v5, on the PP, and at 3v3.
From 2019-2022
- 5V5: 121 (11th)
- PP: 91 (3rd)
- 3V3: 13 (1st)
It's crazy how none of that has worked in Calgary. Not the 5v5, not the PP, and not 3v3 in overtime.
Most likely thing is that the aging curve hit him and it hit him hard. He doesn't have the skating or agility to be an elite NHLer anymore and that has changed from his last season in Florida. He's a poor skater now and because of that can't create any time or space for himself to make a play.
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Holy.
Prior to the 2019 season, he played 4 straight seasons averaging 55pts playing with Barkov and Jagr.
During the 18-19 season, they started to transition him off the top line. The top line then was Barkov and Dadonov and third spot was a rotation of Huberdeau, Hoffman and Bjugstad. Immediate jump from 69 points with Barkov and Jagr the year before to 92 points after starting to get moved down.
Actually, I think the 69 point year might have been the year of Huberdeau with Barkov and Trochek (not Jagr), but regardless, it was still an almost 30 point jump once he started to get second line exposure.
During the 19-20 season, he was back on the top line again (reward for the 92 pt season) playing the entire year with Barkov and Dadonov. 78 points, but it was shortend season, so still pretty comparable to his 92 point season. The big problem I remember from that year though was Dadonov falling off a cliff. Huberdeau racked up a pile of apples, but the entire line as a unit took a hit.
In the 20-21 season was the end of Dadonov in Florida, but the start of Huberdeau playing exclusively on the second line. Barkov was now paired with Verhaeghe and the other wing was mostly Duclair but also I think Mason Marchment saw some time on that line too after they got him from TO. Huberdeau, however, spent the season with Hornqvist and Wennberg. (I remembered Hornqvist, because I liked him in PIT so it was interesting to see him paired up with Huberdeau in his first year in Florida. I had to look up Wennberg though, because I couldn't remember who the third was on that line). Anyway, 61 points in 55 games playing exclusively on the second line.
For the magical 21-22 season, he was now a full-fledged second line player, and he smoked the rest of eastern conference with 115 points playing exclusively with Bennett and Duclair on the second line.
Then he comes to Calgary, signs a franchise-player contract and low and behold, goes back to averaging 50 points a season again as we try repeatedly to make him one of the center pieces of our offence.
Summary
The four best seasons of his career were season in which he was either transitioning to being a second line player, or was actually a second line player. His two best seasons were seasons when he was at least 3/4 of the time on the second line, and his best season was 100% on the second line.
The worst seasons of his career was when he 100% considered a top line player, playing with Jagr and Barkov in Florida and then the myriad of ways we've tried to make him a top line player here in Calgary.
I don't know what else to say. You're just grabbing his 4 best years and then looking at total ice time (as if nobody ever gets hurt or something)... but I'm telling you how he was ACTUALLY used and what lines he ACTUALLY played on... because, during the Forsberg/Sakic era, Quebec/Colorado was my favourite non-Calgary team, and I watched them win their first cup against the Cinderella Florida Panthers, who quickly became my second favourite non-Calgary team... and so I've tended to pay attention to Florida throughout the years since.
Like, I'm not lying when I tell you that my impression of Huberdeau through his career was first excitement when he was drafted, followed by trepidation in his rookie/sophomore seasons to outright thinking he was bust up untill he started putting up points after being moved away from the top line.
I'll admit I was excited when we got him, because I honestly thought he be a great fit with Lindholm... but low and behold, it's just reminded me of whatching him play with Jagr and Barky all over again.
Edit: My own definition of a "middle-six" player is someone who is too talented (either offensively or defensively) to be a bottom six player, but isn't able to produce on the top line. Now, you can argue with me about my definition of a middle six player, but you cannot argue with me that Huberdeau is a top line player. Also, my definition of a top-six player is someone who for all intents and purposes would be a top line player, but is playing on the second line most of the time (because they're playing behind someone better at their position, or because they're young and getting experience etc). So using my definitions, Huberdeau is a middle six player, and has been (or at least should have been) throughout his career. Again, you can argue those definitions, but you cannot argue that (whether it's the added pressure of being on the top line, or it's the added defensive focus the top line gets) he is not a top line player in any regard. Not even replacement-level top line.