2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[SuperMatt18]

The contract was a mistake because you didn't know he'd fit here and with the benefit of hindsight you know that, but at the time he was a 115 point player that was top 5 in NHL scoring over the three prior seasons.

His struggles in Calgary have been a combination of a lot of things:

Style of play
Age
Roster Composition
Huberdeau's own confidence

The big thing to me is I don't think it's purely a physical thing with Huberdeau. Based on NHL EDGE stats he's not slower than he was in Florida and his shot isn't worse, so I do think with a different team he could bounce back to point per game.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

It was his best post season. Regular season it was his second best on a PPG basis.

IMO, Bennett was the one driving that line in 2021/2022. His style of play opened up a lot of space and Huberdeau benefited from that. Bennett would often draw a couple of players away letting Huberdeau get open and have an extra second or two to make a play. It was the different between being able to make a nice play, or being pressured and the play dying or serving up a pizza like we see here.

The difference of Huberdeau without Bennett was a lot more dramatic than the difference of Bennett without Huberdeau.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Huberdeau’s contract does not bother me at all at this point. They need it to reach the floor. The bigger issue is that the Huberdeau was the biggest piece in the return for Tkachuk and has the least value since. Had the perceived value of Huberdeau at the time been in the form of draft picks or young prospects, the flames would be in a better spot. All spilled milk at this point and I will give credit to Huberdeau for adjusting in t his game to more of a grinding style that fits with the team. He works hard and drives to the net. And I think he is becoming a leader on the team.

Yeah, Treliving had a choice to make and TBF most posters were behind it. The team still was vet laden, with a good defence, so I understand why he went that way. But the futures deal would have been better in hindsight.

To echo what others have said, the salary is a non-factor for me, so that's probably why he looks better than when he got here to me. I just don't think about whether he's worth 10.5 because it doesn't matter.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

IMO, Bennett was the one driving that line in 2021/2022. His style of play opened up a lot of space and Huberdeau benefited from that. Bennett would often draw a couple of players away letting Huberdeau get open and have an extra second or two to make a play. It was the different between being able to make a nice play, or being pressured and the play dying or serving up a pizza like we see here.

The difference of Huberdeau without Bennett was a lot more dramatic than the difference of Bennett without Huberdeau.

this is a bit of a stretch

Huberdeau was also a 92 point player before Bennett was even in Florida and over point per game 4 years in a row.

[Iniggywetrust]

The big problem with Huberdeau is what makes this Flames team not a contender. We traded a top 10 talent for him. You need top ten talent to produce, take over games, and come up big in big moments. We were counting on Huberdeau to do that for the Flames. He’s not, he’s mid, so the Flames are mid.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Iniggywetrust

The big problem with Huberdeau is what makes this Flames team not a contender. We traded a top 10 talent for him. You need top ten talent to produce, take over games, and come up big in big moments. We were counting on Huberdeau to do that for the Flames. He’s not, he’s mid, so the Flames are mid.

Deal wasn't 1 for 1...besides its not like the Flames would be a contender with Tkachuk either. Takes a deep team to win.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

IMO, Bennett was the one driving that line in 2021/2022. His style of play opened up a lot of space and Huberdeau benefited from that. Bennett would often draw a couple of players away letting Huberdeau get open and have an extra second or two to make a play. It was the different between being able to make a nice play, or being pressured and the play dying or serving up a pizza like we see here.

The difference of Huberdeau without Bennett was a lot more dramatic than the difference of Bennett without Huberdeau.

Except Huberdeau prior to the trade was PPG.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Except Huberdeau prior to the trade was PPG.

Over PPG

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Yeah, Treliving had a choice to make and TBF most posters were behind it. The team still was vet laden, with a good defence, so I understand why he went that way. But the futures deal would have been better in hindsight.

To echo what others have said, the salary is a non-factor for me, so that's probably why he looks better than when he got here to me. I just don't think about whether he's worth 10.5 because it doesn't matter.

It’s a factor because it prevents the Flames from trading him.

Which is a huge factor.

But ignoring his salary, when your best players are guys like a Huberdeau, Frost, Farabee, Coleman, and basically everyone else not named Kadri and Andersson, your team is at best a mushy middle team.

Those players are the very definition of mushy middle players. They are not bad, but the truly best teams have those players playing bottom 6 minutes, not top six minutes.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Huberdeau’s contract does not bother me at all at this point. They need it to reach the floor. The bigger issue is that the Huberdeau was the biggest piece in the return for Tkachuk and has the least value since. Had the perceived value of Huberdeau at the time been in the form of draft picks or young prospects, the flames would be in a better spot. All spilled milk at this point and I will give credit to Huberdeau for adjusting in t his game to more of a grinding style that fits with the team. He works hard and drives to the net. And I think he is becoming a leader on the team.

The contract doesn't bother me, at least as far as this year is concerned. The cap hit itself could be a bit of an issue in the last 2 years of the contract, as the Flames have to pay the likes of Parekh, McKenna, and Reschney, but that's pretty far into the future.

A smaller concern would be the Flames' willingness to reduce Huberdeau's role in a couple of years. He could be getting PP1 time, and top 6 ice-time ahead of some young up-and-coming players that would be stuck down the rotation, because of seniority/contract. That's a very specific hypothetical, but I could see something similar happening, or a Wrangler staying on the farm because there are no top 6 spots similar to Kerins this year.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

The contract doesn't bother me, at least as far as this year is concerned. The cap hit itself could be a bit of an issue in the last 2 years of the contract, as the Flames have to pay the likes of Parekh, McKenna, and Reschney, but that's pretty far into the future.

A smaller concern would be the Flames' willingness to reduce Huberdeau's role in a couple of years. He could be getting PP1 time, and top 6 ice-time ahead of some young up-and-coming players that would be stuck down the rotation, because of seniority/contract. That's a very specific hypothetical, but I could see something similar happening, or a Wrangler staying on the farm because there are no top 6 spots similar to Kerins this year.

Well Backlund and Coleman are a couple larger salaries and they play 3rd line. And Huska wasn’t shy about moving Sharangovich down the lineup either.

Huberdeau would have to slow down a lot to be in the way of a Kerins.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

It’s a factor because it prevents the Flames from trading him.

Huberdeau is quite good enough to be traded with retention. It would suck to have a retention slot tied up for years, but if it becomes important to get him off the roster, the option is there.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

It’s a factor because it prevents the Flames from trading him.

Which is a huge factor.

But ignoring his salary, when your best players are guys like a Huberdeau, Frost, Farabee, Coleman, and basically everyone else not named Kadri and Andersson, your team is at best a mushy middle team.

Those players are the very definition of mushy middle players. They are not bad, but the truly best teams have those players playing bottom 6 minutes, not top six minutes.

Nah that’s not a middle team. It’s a bottom team. Every bad team has those guys. Seattle has Eberle, Stephenson, Montour, Schwartz, Larsson, McCann, Dunn. A lot of OK guys.

[This post is terrible]

Why are we talking about Huberdeau? Was he rumoured to be traded?

[CFO]

Why do the flames need to trade Huberdeau? There is no winger pushing him out of a spot. The flames don't need cap space.

[Heavy Jack]

As much as Huby obviously has lived up to his ticket on the ice I think he’s more than lived up to off of the ice; seems to love the city and the team, has a bunch of things he does for the community and is a true pro, with the cap going up and up too his contract doesn’t like as bad as it was looking out of the gate. No sense in trading him IMO.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Well Backlund and Coleman are a couple larger salaries and they play 3rd line. And Huska wasn’t shy about moving Sharangovich down the lineup either.

Huberdeau would have to slow down a lot to be in the way of a Kerins.

Kerins was just an example, of a guy the team likes, but has trouble finding him a spot in the NHL. Backlund and Coleman are still 4th, and 5th in TOI/game respectively, so I don't really see them as 3rd line forwards on this team. Kadri and Huberdeau are 1st and 2nd.

Sharangovich, Kuzmenko, and even Huberdeau during Huska's 1st year got stints on the 4th line, or in the press box. However, their treatment was because of their bonehead play and lack of effort defensively. They all still got their spots back, and plenty of opportunities to get those spots back. At the same time, the leash seems much shorter for younger players.

As I mentioned, it's a small concern because I have no idea how things will turn out. If the Flames had the opportunity to move that contract without retaining salary, or losing any additional assets, I would still be all over it.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by This post is terrible

Why are we talking about Huberdeau? Was he rumoured to be traded?

I made the mistake of pointing out that he bounced back last year with the 28 goal season and now people are jumping through all kinds of hoops to establish how many different ways Huberdeau is bad.

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by Wolven

I made the mistake of pointing out that he bounced back last year with the 28 goal season and now people are jumping through all kinds of hoops to establish how many different ways Huberdeau is bad.

Because he is bad for his contract. If he's making 4.5 million a year it's whatever.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by memphusk

Because he is bad for his contract. If he's making 4.5 million a year it's whatever.

His contract should only make a difference at this point to Murray Edwards. It's pretty irrelevant to the team's fortunes.