Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube steps away from the club indefinitely 'while he attends to his mental health'

Dube, a two-time 18-goal scorer, has gone 24 games without a point

The Calgary Flames on Sunday announced forward Dillon Dube “has been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the team while he attends to his mental health.”

“Dillon is under the care of health professionals, and we request that Dillon’s privacy is respected during this period.”

Dube did not play in Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers and the team said it was because of “illness.” Sportsnet 960's The Fan reported Dube's absence is not substance-related.

Dube, 25, has scored three goals and seven points in 43 games this season, but gone 28 games without a goal and 24 without a point.

He scored 18 goals in each of the previous two campaigns, his career-high, and posted set a new personal standard with 45 points last season.

Dube is due to become a restricted free agent after this season, the final one in a three-year, $6.9 million contract.

The 2016 second-round draft choice has played in 325 NHL regular season games and collected 57 goals and 127 points.

Internationally, Dube was also part of Canada's gold-medal winning 2018 world junior team, and 2017 silver-medal winning squad.

The news comes as the Flames expect to welcome back Oliver Kylington to the active roster. Kylington has not played since the 2021-22 season while battling through his mental issues.