The 29-year-old forward was acquired by the Flames with defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and forward prospect Cole Schwindt in a trade with the Florida Panthers for forward
Matthew Tkachuk
on Friday.
He has one season remaining on a six-year, $35.4 million contract he signed with the Panthers on Sept. 7, 2016, and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
"I still have one more year left on my contract," Huberdeau said Monday. "I'm open to staying with the Flames, but at the end of the day, it's not my decision. It's my general manager (Brad Treliving) and agent who work this out. It would be something I'm open about, and obviously they're the ones that traded for me. That means they want me. ... You want to play for a team that wants you, and that's all I want."
Huberdeau was tied for second in the NHL with a career-high 115 points and led the League with 85 assists in 80 games last season. He helped the Panthers (58-18-6) win the Presidents' Trophy for the first time in their history and had five points (one goal, four assists) in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games before they were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Second Round.
Weegar had and NHL career-high 44 points (eight goals, 36 assists) in 80 regular-season games last season and one assist in 10 playoff games. With one season remaining on a three-year contract he signed with Florida on Nov. 6, 2020, Weegar was asked what he'd look for if he chose to stay long-term.
"Obviously, are we a winning team? How is the city? How are the teammates? How are my coaches? I think those are a lot of things, those boxes that you check, to sign a long-term deal with the team," Weegar said.
"I'm open to it (signing with the Flames), I've heard lots of great things about all those things I've just said. I guess it's just getting down there and experiencing it myself and Brad and my agent talking negotiation talks and seeing if it works for both sides."
Last season, the Flames (50-21-11) won the Pacific Division but lost in five games to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Second Round.
Huberdeau and Weegar said they believe the Flames can remain a Stanley Cup contender despite losing Tkachuk and forward Johnny Gaudreau, who signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract ($9.75 million AAV) with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 14. Gaudreau led the Flames with an NHL career-high 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists) in 82 games last season, and Tkachuk was second on the team with an NHL career-high 104 points (42 goals, 62 assists) in 82 games.
"The team looks really good," Weegar said. "For you guys, it's been an emotional week with the ups and downs of losing two great players. But 'Huby' and I coming in, hopefully you get a little more excitement. It's not a rebuild either. We're here to win, and I think Brad knows that. He wants to win now, and the team wants to win now. Johnny and I are ready to start winning with this team."
For now, the two will focus on getting adjusted with the Flames.
"We've only been there 48 hours, we haven't gotten to go to Calgary and see everything, but I'll leave that to the general manager and my agent," Huberdeau said.
"They already started talking about it. We'll see what's going to happen, but I'm open for it."
