Flames winger Huberdeau confident in return-to-play plan after abbreviated season

Calgary Flames' Jonathan Huberdeau celebrates his goal during first-period NHL hockey action against the Anaheim Ducks, in Calgary, Alta., Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal)

Calgary Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau wants to start skating again by the end of June and intends to be ready for September training camp after hip resurfacing surgery.

The 32-year-old forward shut down his season in February before the Olympic break to address hip pain that flared last summer. Huberdeau had the procedure in March.

“The rehab has been going well,” Huberdeau said Friday when the Flames gave their season-ending exit interviews.

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“It’s been six weeks, so I think I’m just looking forward to getting back on the ice.”

A 115-point man with the Florida Panthers in 2022, Huberdeau had his best season as a Flame in 2024-25 with 28 goals and 34 assists to rank second on the team behind Nazem Kadri. Calgary missed the playoffs by a tiebreaker point.

But both Huberdeau and the Flames laboured this season. Huberdeau had 10 goals and 15 assists in 50 games before opting for a season-ending procedure.

“Last summer I kind of started feeling it more,” Huberdeau explained. “When I came into the season, it wasn’t too great. Tried to fix it, getting some injections and stuff, and it didn’t work out.

“I wasn’t 100 per cent playing on it, but I could still play. I finally decided to get it done this year. I’m kind of happy I did it. That was the main reason I kind of wanted to do it earlier, so I could be fully back next year.”

The Flames acquired Huberdeau, considered one of the best passers in the league, from the Panthers in a blockbuster summer of 2022 trade.

The six-foot-one, 200-pound winger from Saint-Jerome, Que., signed an eight-year, US$84-million contract extension that runs to 2030-31.

After his first season in Calgary, Huberdeau said he’d lost his swagger. He began adapting and took pride in becoming more of a two-way player.

But the Flames missed the production of a healthy Huberdeau this season. Calgary scored a league-low 212 goals, and the power play ranked second-last in the league.

Huberdeau has yet to see the playoffs in four seasons as a Flame.

“We have to finish more,” he stated. “It’s hard to make the playoffs when you don’t have a guy over 50 points.

“Offence has to come. There’s a lot of talent in this group. Guys can get like 70, 80 points no problem. It’s just to find it together, find the chemistry on the ice.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press