What to do with Huberdeau?

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Well of course but that’s not happening. His contract won’t matter for the next 3-4 years. The last 2-3 might be very iffy if the Flames hit on their picks. The Flames will also have ample cap space starting next year.

Exactly. Would the Flames be able to ‘rebuild better’ if they were able to make Huberdeau disappear? What evidence is there to support this? It’s not that consequential.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by TOfan

We need a star player worth $10.5? Now? I don’t think so. I think that’s the opposite of what the Flames need for the foreseeable future.

The Flames are starting a rebuild. It’s already happening. In a little over two months time I’ll bet they’re under the cap, with room to spare. They’ll have moved on from the three remaining UFA’s and maybe more. Sure, they may take some cap back to make deals work or retain salary, so technically they’ll be close to the cap but I don’t think their intentions are going to be spend to the cap to compete, it’s going to be more about spending cap to acquire assets (draft picks).

I suspect with what Conroy/Iggy/Nonnis/Maloney are attempting to build the next Flame to earn $10.5/year is a player they haven’t drafted yet. In other words, we’re, at the absolute very least, four years away from that. Likely more. And at that point, what’s the cap going to be in 2027/28?

Gio’s right, Huberdeau’s cap hit isn’t a concern, right now. I don’t see a scenario where it prevents them from proceeding on a rebuild/retool for this season and 2-3 more. Could it be four-five-six years down the road? Yes, that could be the case but there’s a lot of things that could happen between now and then.

So the Flames don’t need good players?

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by TOfan

Sounds like you’re saying the Flames should have no cap hit whatsoever. You’re signalling out one contract of 23. Is there a rebuilding team in the league that doesn’t have a contract they would love to simply get rid of?

I’m not saying that. You and Gio want to argue that his “cap hit isn’t a concern”. Now you want to say that well it’s a concern but other teams have concerns too.I don’t think any other team has a Huberdeau level contract in their hands to answer your question. But that is also irrelevant to the argument the two of you are trying to make.

Maybe it’s just an attempt to defend Flames management. Every team makes mistakes, why be mean to them about this one? If that’s your angle fine, I’m not interesting in bayoneting the wounded. Carry on.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by GUnit

Send him to Quebec, done with this guy, team is finding a way in spite of him. He's 2023 James Neal fu treliving

Times 2.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by TOfan

Exactly. Would the Flames be able to ‘rebuild better’ if they were able to make Huberdeau disappear? What evidence is there to support this? It’s not that consequential.

Again I’m wondering if these posts are serious. You haven’t seen NHL teams weaponize their cap space in a rebuild?

From what we have seen, Huberdeau’s cap hit would be worth about a 1st and 2nd round pick every year of his deal if the Flames chose to use it that way.

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by TOfan

Exactly. Would the Flames be able to ‘rebuild better’ if they were able to make Huberdeau disappear? What evidence is there to support this? It’s not that consequential.

If Hubredeau had a contract you could move the pieces you get back for him would likely help the rebuild more than he is/could.

[Goriders]

So the debate is whether the flames paying Huberdeau $10.5 million to do nothing is a bad thing for the organization in a league with a salary cap.

Is this correct?

[Jason14h]

The Flames were trying to resign their FAs until game 15. They wanted to compete this year

If they didn’t have Hubby they would have spent 10 million on other UFAs this offseason. They weren’t going to be taking on bad contracts this past offseason because they weren’t planning to rebuild

Hubby is actually good for the rebuild this year and next - he is preventing management from improving the team!

The next offseason the Flames will have tons of cap space if they want to take on bad contracts and commit to a real rebuild . I don’t think they will - but Hubby won’t prevent that

It will be horrible in 3-5 years when (hopefully) this team is ready to compete and he would be a giant black hole - but that’s a problem for years from now

The worse part of Hubby on the Flames is they may actually be in a good spot playoff wise if they had a superstar for 10 million vs a plug

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Again I’m wondering if these posts are serious. You haven’t seen NHL teams weaponize their cap space in a rebuild?

From what we have seen, Huberdeau’s cap hit would be worth about a 1st and 2nd round pick every year of his deal if the Flames chose to use it that way.

But the Flames aren’t going to be a cap team after this offseason. They have 57 million dollars committed next season with Markstrom. If they actually trade Markstrom they are down to 51 million dollars.
Cap won’t be an issue even with Huberdeau’s contract on the books. They can take all the cap dumps they want as long as they don’t do dumb things in free agency

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Goriders

So the debate is whether the flames paying Huberdeau $10.5 million to do nothing is a bad thing for the organization in a league with a salary cap.

Is this correct?

No, the argument is if that contract is hindering a rebuild. It definitely hinders the team from being competitive

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I’m not saying that. You and Gio want to argue that his “cap hit isn’t a concern”. Now you want to say that well it’s a concern but other teams have concerns too.I don’t think any other team has a Huberdeau level contract in their hands to answer your question. But that is also irrelevant to the argument the two of you are trying to make.

Maybe it’s just an attempt to defend Flames management. Every team makes mistakes, why be mean to them about this one? If that’s your angle fine, I’m not interesting in bayoneting the wounded. Carry on.

Man, this sucks. You’ve got eight years to whine about this.

Again, Huberdeau is one contract. What scenario are you fearful of the Flames not being able to realize? Other than an expansion team every team in the league has contracts that they either want to get rid of now or will want to in the not-too-distant future.

Where do you draw the line? If Huberdeau’s contract prevents the Flames from taking on salary, then what about Kadri, Weegar, Coleman, Markstrom, Backlund, Mangapanie? You seem to want a clean a clean slate, but that’s not realistic.

[Icantwhisper]

Whew!! We are not even half way through the first year of an eight year deal and over 2000 posts, where we going to be in year eight??? Math says 32,000 but so many variables, can’t wait to find out ��

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Show my work? What do you mean, predict how they would use the cap space? You haven’t seen rebuilding teams weaponize cap space before? With a productive use of the $10.5M would they even be rebuilding?

Did you not listen to the GM talk about how valuable cap space was at the deadline?

It seems that you bring Huberdeau up often , even in game threads. What is it? I thought that at a minimum all Flames fans at least acknowledged that his play/contract is a problem but you want to fight that?

Now I do think they need to resign themselves to living with it for several more years unless another equally bad contract manifests itself. There isn’t one currently. But suggesting they are no worse off because of this is nonsense. Whether they are rebuilding or trying to contend.

We are talking about his cap hit right now, nothing else. His production is an issue, his effort isn’t really. And his cap hit isn’t very relevant at this point in the team’s fortunes.

Oh, and I rarely bring Huberdeau up in a game thread. Sometimes I respond.

[Heavy Jack]

Can’t get much worse than it is right now for Huberdeau… maybe he gets us a top 3 pick or 2 for the first time as a franchise which is an embarrassing silver lining.

[Bill Bumface]

I thought he looked decent again last night. PP2 especially looked the best it has in quite some time. He was zipping some decisive passes around and set up at least 3 or 4 half chances.

Someone needs to put the damn puck in at some point.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by Bonded

No, the argument is if that contract is hindering a rebuild. It definitely hinders the team from being competitive

I don’t know. 10.5 is worth some pretty good picks for cap dump

Yes they have some cap space next year but it’s not unlimited

Huberdeau has 7 yrs left. It’s going to hurt badly at some point.

[dirk diggler]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Again I’m wondering if these posts are serious. You haven’t seen NHL teams weaponize their cap space in a rebuild?

From what we have seen, Huberdeau’s cap hit would be worth about a 1st and 2nd round pick every year of his deal if the Flames chose to use it that way.

Agreed, not sure how people dont see this. if we had all that cap space, we could take on the next Monahan and get a 1st round draft pick, having a boat anchor at 10.5 is brutal even if the team isnt a contender right now.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

I thought he looked decent again last night. PP2 especially looked the best it has in quite some time. He was zipping some decisive passes around and set up at least 3 or 4 half chances.

Someone needs to put the damn puck in at some point.

I thought the same and it’s ridiculous they don’t even want to use him on the main PP which is pathetic

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

Agreed, not sure how people dont see this. if we had all that cap space, we could take on the next Monahan and get a 1st round draft pick, having a boat anchor at 10.5 is brutal even if the team isnt a contender right now.

Monahan is a good and rare example though. That was a dumb move by Treliving that isn’t likely to be repeated. And I think the Flames will have cap room without getting rid of Huberdeau to do deals like that.

Huberdeau’s cap hit will hurt in 4 years when guys to be drafted now are coming up for extension. But then, that was always going to happen.

This thread is about “what to do with Huberdeau” and to me cap hit is pretty irrelevant to that. Whining about it doesn’t add anything to the topic.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

I thought the same and it’s ridiculous they don’t even want to use him on the main PP which is pathetic

He didn’t get an assist but he was a big part of scoring their one power play goal. As was Weegar who should also be on the first unit.