"To me, that was the frustrating part. This year it's been every night, and that's tough to do in this league when you're playing 82 games, but that speaks to his maturity. He's learned how to really be a factor."
Huberdeau's 20-game splits have underscored his consistency this season.
He scored 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in the Panthers' first 20 games, 34 points (eight goals, 26 assists) in the next 20, and 30 points (four goals, 26 assists) in the most recent 20.
Florida went 14-3-3, 13-5-2 and 14-5-1 in those 20-game splits.
"The season gets to the grinding part and Huberdeau is still playing his best hockey," Lindsay said.
The Panthers are 36-9-5, a .770 points percentage, in games when Huberdeau scores at least a point; 5-5-1 (.500) when he doesn't.
"It's about having the puck on his stick and being able to make the plays," Lindsay said. "He just does stuff that other people can't do with the passes and the playmaking ability."
But Huberdeau doesn't get enough credit for the other parts of his game, Lindsay said.
"He pushes the play and to me, watching him, it's about the strength that he plays with," Lindsay said. "Everyone thinks of this elite, skilled player, but it's a real strong game he plays deep in the corners and he wins more 50-50 battles than ever before, and that's part of point production. When he first started it was more off the rush, but now it's winning 50-50 battles down in the corners, working plays from there. That's the evolution in his game too."
Huberdeau's defensive game has evolved as well, Lindsay said.
Huberdeau has already played more shorthanded minutes this season (114:35) than he did in his first nine NHL seasons combined (80:56). He has scored four shorthanded points (two goals, two assists); only Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry (five) has scored more in the NHL this season.
Florida ranks 16th in the NHL on the penalty kill at 79.9 percent.
"His game has expanded this year with the penalty-killing role, which is something that never happened in the past," Lindsay said. "The coaching staff felt an emphasis to give him more on his plate to drive him even further. To me, giving him that responsibility has made him more of a determined player.
"He can elevate people around him and I wouldn't say that early in his career. It's just more of a complete package what you're getting this year."
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis): Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers, 52 points (7 first-place votes); Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers, 44 (3); Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs, 41 (3); Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, 34 (1); Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames, 22; Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, 9 (1); Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, 7; Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche, 6; Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild, 5; Elias Lindholm, Flames, 4; Chris Kreider, Rangers, 1
