Huberdeau promises improvement: I'm 'way better' than what I've shown
Jonathan Huberdeau's start with the Calgary Flames hasn't been disastrous by any means, but the talented winger expects more out of himself.
"I've still got a lot of work to do. I mean, obviously, it hasn't been easy for me at the beginning of the year. I'm way better than what I am right now," he told reporters Wednesday.
He added, "You guys haven't seen anything yet. I'm not happy with myself right now."
Huberdeau has one goal and four assists in eight games so far this season, which might be a tad less than what Flames fans had in mind when Calgary acquired his services in July. The 29-year-old potted a career-high 115 points with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22 and led the team with 10 points through its first eight contests of that season.
He partially attributed his performance thus far to some growing pains as he adjusts to the Flames' system, which he said is "different" than the Panthers'.
"Last year, we won a lot of games 6-5," Huberdeau said of the Panthers, who scored a whopping 337 goals last campaign. "Obviously, you're going to get some points as an individual, but I think that's not the point. You want to play well defensively as a system. If you play well defensively, you're going to get your chance offensively."
Flames head coach Darryl Sutter has been complimentary of Huberdeau's game, but the hard-nosed bench boss did say that the forward had to "speed his game up" following Tuesday's loss to the Seattle Kraken.
Huberdeau agreed with Sutter's assessment.
"I think he's right. I'm thinking a little too much out there, not moving my feet as I used to last year," he said. "I think I've gotta start doing that. ... I've just gotta relax and kind of play my game. I know I'm a good player; I've gotta come back to the basics."
Huberdeau has spent the bulk of the campaign on a line with Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli, but he played alongside Nazem Kadri and Andrew Mangiapane on Tuesday.
The Flames acquired Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar from the Panthers as part of a package for star forward Matthew Tkachuk last summer.
Calgary solidified its faith in Huberdeau, who could have become an unrestricted free agent after this season, by inking him to an eight-year, $84-million extension in early August.
Largely considered one of the front-runners in the Western Conference, the Flames are currently fifth in the Pacific Division with a 5-3-0 record.