What to do with Huberdeau?

[monkeyman]

Huberdeau's mom could be the GM of the Coyotes and they still wouldn't touch that contract.

[Classic_Sniper]

Honestly, it’s been quite disappointing to see how little Huberdeau has profited playing with Backlund and Coleman. At this point, I think the only person that can save Huberdeau is Danielle Fujita. Jonathan is going to have to do some serious work on his skating fundamentals and techniques.

Quite simply put, he needs to pick up his damn pace. It’s what Darryl was harping on him last season and it still rings true today. The opposition has picked up on it and their strategy to swarm Huberdeau and pressure him into turnovers is working.

I find that he struggles with even the most basic of hockey fundamentals like footwork, turning, crossovers, shuffling, edgework, accelerating, accepting passes, body positioning and etc. It’s almost like he’s so focused on just executing the basics that he doesn’t have enough time to focus on making actual plays which often result in panicky turnovers and less optimal plays.

I also don’t think his hands get talked about enough. It’s actually kind of shocking how bad Huberdeau’s hands can be which I know is a helluva thing to say about a guy who has the career highlight reel he has and the all time LW assist record. But in my opinion, it’s true, the puck fumbles on his stick lot, his passes wobble all the time, pucks constantly miss his stick and etc. Everything he does looks telegraphed and labored and he just doesn’t seem to have the deft touch that other elite playmakers have.

So all of these things I mentioned I believe combine to really hamper the pace of his game. I think it’s a good thing that it’s more so physical rather than his processor. I think his hockey sense, IQ and vision are more than quick enough to play at the NHL pace. It’s just his fundamentals that need work and I think if he can find a way to increase his efficiency then that should help elevate every other aspect of his game resulting in more positive plays and less panicky decisions/turnovers and etc.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

Huberdeau's mom could be the GM of the Coyotes and they still wouldn't touch that contract.

I was going to say something disparaging...but that was a good joke. Take your 'Thanks' sir!

[GullFoss]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I don't get this line of thinking and why people seem to have a personal vendetta against Huberdeau so much.

He's sucked as a Flame but you're not going to shame him into leaving $70M dollars on the table. And just benching him forever is not in the team or players best interest.

It's in the team and players best interest to work together to try to figure this out and at least try to get him to a point where he can maybe get 60-80 points in a season.

They should probably think about sitting him for a game at some point but to say "just make him the 13th forward" would be the stupidest thing you could do 110 games into a 9 year relationship.

And even then...he's not worth near $10.5M but he's still an NHLer. 70 points in 110 games isn't "he's not even an NHLer territory", just not worth close to $10.5M.

I'm not sure he's an effective top-6 forward on the flames. And he doesn't have the skill set to effectively play a bottom-6 role.

Fwiw Dom a the Athletic puts his market value at $4.5m based on his current and projected production. And the projected production is optimistic relative to his current production. So the market value of his play this year is well below $4.5m

Forwards by market value based on current and projected play. Huby outside of top-6.
Kadri - $7.2m
Lindholm - $6.8m
Zary - $5.8m
Backlund - $5.1m
Mangiapane - $5.1m
Coleman - $4.8m
Huby - $4.5m

And based on play in season to date, Sharangovich is also ahead of Huby on the depth chart.

So Huby is the 8th best forward on the team, but doesn't really have the defensive game to play a third line role. And it's plausible he falls to 10th on the depth chart next season after accounting for Coronato and Pelletier. And Huby isn't well suited to a 4th line role either.

Its entirely plausible that taking Huby out of the line up today is addition by subtraction. And the likelihood of that idea only rises as Coronato, Pelletier and Honzek mature and the flames draft high picks over the next few drafts.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I don't think it makes sense to go out and acquire players that might have chemistry with Huberdeau - that strategy would make sense if they were in win-now mode, but they aren't.

Focus on acquiring young talent and picks, and let the Huberdeau situation work itself out.

When the Flames re-enter competitive territory, then figure out what is the best plan for him.

We still don’t know if the franchise has committed to rebuild. Selling off the UFAs this year may be the re-tool, and then next season back to trying to be good again.

This team is going to have around $16m to fill one forward and three defence positions. They can be big buyers in the UFA market if that’s the direction they want to go. And if that’s the case, may as well look for players that can play well with Huberdeau.

I’m not saying that’s what the team should do. But I think it might be the direction they choose.

[flylock shox]

I had the exact same thought watching him tonight re: working with Danielle Fujita.



It's like he just doesn't have enough time out there, which is a sign that he's too slow to create his own space, and easily closed down when he does get it. If he could get just 10% faster/quicker he might find enough daylight that he'd no longer feel the need to force passes.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

I had the exact same thought watching him tonight re: working with Danielle Fujita.



It's like he just doesn't have enough time out there, which is a sign that he's too slow to create his own space, and easily closed down when he does get it. If he could get just 10% faster/quicker he might find enough daylight that he'd no longer feel the need to force passes.

30+ yo's dont typically get 10% faster/quicker.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Using the odd exception to prove the premise, tsk, tsk.

The premise is that Huberdeau is not the only player to have suffered this ‘syndrome’. All you need is one exception and that premise is proved.

[Voodooman]

What does the package have to look like to send him back to his people in La Belle Province where general disdain for hard work will just blend in with the locals?

50% retained, Montreal’s 1st back, and our 1st for next year? Even at the price, pull the trigger. He’s just a cancer.

[Flamesfan05]

He had chances but couldn’t convert

Backlund and Coleman are nice but best they can do is get him to 50 pts

Get him some help Conroy. You are sitting on that new found money and it’s not pretty

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

He had chances but couldn’t convert

Backlund and Coleman are nice but best they can do is get him to 50 pts

Get him some help Conroy. You are sitting on that new found money and it’s not pretty

They are outscoring him though, so how is it their fault?

I agree you would want better linemates than that for him but when he can't even match their output that is on him not the linemates.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by Spurs

They are outscoring him though, so how is it their fault?

I agree you would want better linemates than that for him but when he can't even match their output that is on him not the linemates.

He is the kind of guy that needs his line mates to take advantage of his passes

Sooner or later he needs to realize he needs to score his own goals here. He has averaged 30 goals several times. So yeah it’s his fault for not finding ways to succeed but looks like he can’t help himself. Conroy can either find a way to benefit from their biggest investment or give up for the next 8 yrs


And I am not blaming Backlund and Coleman. They are what they are. Coleman is actually having a good year

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

He is the kind of guy that needs his line mates to take advantage of his passes

Sooner or later he needs to realize he needs to score his own goals here. He has averaged 30 goals several times. So yeah it’s his fault for not finding ways to succeed but looks like he can’t help himself. Conroy can either find a way to benefit from their biggest investment or give up for the next 8 yrs


And I am not blaming Backlund and Coleman. They are what they are. Coleman is actually having a good year

I’ve thought Backlund’s been below par a lot of the year, just overshadowed by other guys’ struggles. I noted the other day that Coleman seems to get quite a few points and chances when he’s the last guy off on that line (which is often - he’s the designated guy who forechecks on the line change). He often then wins a puck and is lucky enough to have a good scorer who’s fresh (say, Sharangovich) pop onto the ice and get into the open space in for a pass.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

He had chances but couldn’t convert

Backlund and Coleman are nice but best they can do is get him to 50 pts

Get him some help Conroy. You are sitting on that new found money and it’s not pretty

No, Backlund and Coleman are not the problem. They’re the best duo on the team. Actually, Coleman’s been one of the best forwards on the team for a while here, guy has 8 points in his last 6 games while his linemate Huberdeau has 0 points in that same time frame.

It’s easy and convenient to blame Huberdeau’s linemates, but at some point, the blame has to fall on Huberdeau; especially when you consider the chemistry that Zary has developed with Kadri and the way Sharangovich has played with Lindholm who Jonathan wasn’t able to mesh with.

[Muta]

For a game, I'd like to see a line of Huby/Kadri/Sharagovich and see how that does. Both Kadri and Sharangovich's current play could open up Huby's lanes more and give him a bit of breathing room to take some more offensive chances, especially since he's a pass-first player. Just an idea.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

No, Backlund and Coleman are not the problem. They’re the best duo on the team. Actually, Coleman’s been one of the best forwards on the team for a while here, guy has 8 points in his last 6 games while his linemate Huberdeau has 0 points in that same time frame.

It’s easy and convenient to blame Huberdeau’s linemates, but at some point, the blame has to fall on Huberdeau; especially when you consider the chemistry that Zary has developed with Kadri and the way Sharangovich has played with Lindholm who Jonathan wasn’t able to mesh with.

It's ridiculous that people think there is something so magical about Duclair or Bennett (or Wennberg and Hornqvist the year before), that Huberdeau can't replicate anything resembling success or chemistry with anyone else on the Flames. As if guys like Lindholm, Mangiapane, Coleman, Kadri, and Backlund are just chumps compared to the aforementioned Panthers players that Huberdeau found success with.

[Angelino]

If you put Huberdeau in the Harvey the Hound outfit ownership might salvage some value out of him.

Harverdeau.

[PuckSlap]

Originally Posted by Angelino

If you put Huberdeau in the Harvey the Hound outfit ownership might salvage some value out of him.

Harverdeau.

Don't degrade Harvey like that.

Sent from my SM-S918W using Tapatalk

[Bill Bumface]

We all remember how Gaudreau went from looking like a genius to an absolute turd and back to a genius again (and now back to a turd), right?

Lots of that was playing with the same guys. There's a lot that goes into it, but all we can do is hope that he goes from turd back to genius again. I think he cares. I think he's trying.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

It's ridiculous that people think there is something so magical about Duclair or Bennett (or Wennberg and Hornqvist the year before), that Huberdeau can't replicate anything resembling success or chemistry with anyone else on the Flames. As if guys like Lindholm, Mangiapane, Coleman, Kadri, and Backlund are just chumps compared to the aforementioned Panthers players that Huberdeau found success with.

It’s not ridiculous considering he has little success with them now.

You like to put it all on him then enjoy


I am just thinking maybe try to find some external help since he is their biggest investment.