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Flames GM Issues Major Clarification On $84 Million Forward
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- Flames GM Issues Major Clarification On $84 Million Forward
Trade pitch sends Jonathan Huberdeau to Canadiens. Getty
Craig Conroy of the Flames Getty
The acquisition of Jonathan Huberdeau by the Calgary Flames (along with MacKenzie Weegar) in the blockbuster 2022 trade of Matthew Tkachuk has not gone the way the franchise thought it would.
Huberdeau, who was signed to an eight-year, $84 million contract, has seen his offensive production come nowhere close to matching what he's being paid or even closely resemble the kind of player he was with the Panthers. Additionally, they've already traded Weegar away to the Utah Mammoth.
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Huberdeau, who was shut down by the Flames in January to undergo surgery, reportedly experienced a setback in his training according to general manager Craig Conroy. However, Conroy is offering a major clarification on his comments that could put the minds of Flames fans a bit more at ease.
Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy Issues Major Clarification On Jonathan Huberdeau's Status
GettyCraig Conroy of the Flames
Conroy walked back his comments indicating that Huberdeau had suffered an injury setback, and indicated that he hopes that the forward will be able to partially participate in Training Camp.
"It was a poor choice of words on my part," Conroy said via Sportsnet . "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.
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"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 added.
The good news, according to Conroy, is that Huberdeau is "feeling good", and that they do anticipate him back to 100 percent health at some point – with the sooner being the better.
"He's feeling good and is without the pain that he used to have at all times, so that's the best part," Conroy said. "Now, it's just for him to feel 100 percent ready to go into physical contact, game-playing and all that. We believe it's just a matter of when, not if."
Jonathan Huberdeau Was Acquired From The Panthers
Huberdeau was one of the principal returns the Flames received in the blockbuster trade for Tkachuk, and they immediately signed him to an $84 million extension.
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However, Huberdeau hasn't come close to matching the kind of offensive production that the Flames were anticipating when they acquired him and extended him.
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