'DIDN'T LOSE MY TALENT'

There's no denying the type of player Jonathan Huberdeau is.
Let's not forget that he was coming off a 115-point season during the 2021-22 season and also set an NHL record for most assists by a left winger with 85. Something that magnitude doesn't happen by mistake.
But in his first season with the Flames, things didn't go as planned and he's the first to admit that.

"There's a lot of stuff I need to obviously reflect on," Huberdeau said Friday. "That's why I'm going to take the time to do that the next couple weeks, see what's wrong, what I have to do better. Obviously, it's kinda frustrating too, frustration, it wasn't easy as a year. Offensively I didn't really help the team and stuff like that. See what happened and forget about this one.
"I sure didn't find it this year. I didn't lose my talent in five months. I'm not a different player from what I was last year. Just to think about everything and maybe I gotta play a little different here, too. You work on some stuff in the summer and come back. I know what kinda player I am. It's been a tough year but it's how you bounce back and that's what I'm going to do."

After spending 10 seasons with the Panthers, coming over to a new city, new teammates and new system, there was always going to be an adjustment period.
Playing with a multitude of linemates throughout the campaign, Huberdeau finishes his first year in the Flaming C with 55 points, and second on the team with 40 assists. During the stretch run, he picked up 13 points in 16 games, and developed some nice chemistry with Mikael Backlund.
"There's a lot factors throughout the year," Huberdeau said. "Playing right wing for two months, stuff like that, I've played left wing my whole career so that was an adjustment. I didn't know I was going to have to deal with so stuff like that but me and Darryl will figure it out together and try to fix some things.
"It wasn't working really offensively. Darryl was trying to make it work so that's why I bounced around. It was that kind of year. I played with Backs mostly towards the end of year and it was going well. You need to find duos and that's what he was trying to do."
He knows he has much more to give.
"It's mental. I completely lost my swagger this year," he said. "You can just tell, you have no confidence. The way you play, the way you make plays, the way you do it, it's hard because you know you are trying to be there and help your team win and you can't really do it.
"Most important for me is to get that this summer, get that confidence back, I don't think about the past. I just look forward to next year."