Jonathan Huberdeau's Post-Panthers Career Takes Another Hit With Hip Injury

Once one of the most efficient playmakers in the NHL, former Florida Panthers and current Calgary Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau has faced another setback.

Huberdeau will not open training camp with the Flames after undergoing hip surgery in March for a resurfacing injury.

Since he was traded to the Flames in 2022, Huberdeau has failed to match the production that made him such an offensive threat with Florida. Originally drafted third overall by the Panthers in 2011, Huberdeau scored 263 goals and 807 points in 962 games with the organization. 

Huberdeau was a consistent point producer, but he also had his highs, most notably notching 30 goals and 85 assists for 115 points in the 2021-22 season, just before he was traded. Since being dealt, Huberdeau's career high with the Flames is just 28 goals and 62 points, both of which came during the 2024-25 season.

Outside of that campaign, his point totals with the Flames have been 55, 52, and, most recently, just 25 in 50 games. The 33-year-old is already struggling, is beginning to age, and is now dealing with a major injury. 

There have been conflicting reports surrounding Huberdeau's health situation, but Flames GM Craig Conroy recently cleared the air after he himself caused a stir.

Conroy mentioned that Huberdeau “had a little bit of a setback, maybe two weeks ago, with his skating," but Conroy wanted to clarify.

“It was a poor choice of words on my part,” Conroy told Sportsnet.ca. “It's not that there was a setback. It was more the hope in me that he was going to be ready for camp. What I meant was it was a setback that he won't probably be ready for the first day of camp. That's where I made my mistake. 

“There’s an appropriate timeline for this, between seven and nine months, and obviously we were hoping for the earliest return possible. But everybody is different."

Conroy also mentioned that Huberdeau is skating with teammates, but no timeline has been set for his return. 

The surgery Huberdeau has had is one that many NHL players have undergone. Players like Patrick Kane and John Klingberg have returned to action following the procedure, but others like Ed Jovanovski, Carl Hagelin, Ryan Kesler, and Niklas Backstrom had their careers end shortly after. 

The hope is that Huberdeau can return for the start of the season, play pain-free, and return to his best. On a rebuilding Flames roster, that might be a tough ask, but entering the fourth year of his eight-year, $10.5 million AAV contract, he has ample time to make his mark in Calgary. 

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