The Calgary Flames and newly acquired forward Jonathan Huberdeau have agreed to an eight-year, $84-million contract extension, the club announced Thursday night.
It's the largest contract in franchise history by some margin. The previous highest total belonged to Sean Monahan, whose seven-year, $44.625-million contract expires at the end of this season.
The contract carries an average annual value of $10.5 million and includes a full no-move clause. Years No. 7 and No. 8 of the deal also include a partial no-trade clause, in which Huberdeau can only be traded to 12 teams.
The year-by-year breaks down as follows:
• 2023-24: $7-million signing bonus, $3.5-million salary
• 2024-25: $7-million signing bonus, $3.5-million salary
• 2025-26: $7-million signing bonus, $3.5-million salary
• 2026-27: $9.5-million signing bonus, $1-million salary
• 2027-28: $9.5-million signing bonus, $1-million salary
• 2028-29: $7-million signing bonus, $3.5-million salary
• 2029-30: $9.5-million signing bonus, $1-million salary
• 2030-31: $5-million signing bonus, $5.5-million salary
Huberdeau was the key piece Calgary received in return for trading Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in July. The Flames also acquired MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a conditional 2025 first-round pick in the trade.
Prior to signing the extension, Huberdeau was set to become an unrestricted free agent next off-season.
The new contract, which begins in 2023-24, keeps the 29-year-old winger signed through 2030-31 at a significant pay raise — his current deal pays him $5.9 million per season.
Last season Huberdeau registered 30 goals and 85 assists for 115 points — tied for second in the league with former Flame Johnny Gaudreau, who left Calgary in free agency by signing a seven-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Huberdeau has produced at a near-point-per-game pace throughout his career, totalling 613 points over 671 career NHL games.
Just days after the Flames acquired Huberdeau, who's played all 10 years of his career with the Panthers, the Saint-Jerome, Que. native indicated he'd consider a long-term deal.
"I'm open,” he said.
“We've never really talked about that. But I'm open to staying in Calgary for a long time. We've only been there 48 hours and we haven't got to go to Calgary to see everything, but I'm open for it and I'll kind of leave that to the GM and the agent. They already started talking about it. We'll see what's going to happen. I'm open, for sure.”
Weegar, 28, is still a pending unrestricted free agent for next off-season, but doubled down along with Huberdeau when both players were introduced as Flames.
"Same here,” he said. “I'm open to sign a long-term deal. It's been quick and it's been short so far, but the city and the team, there's no reason not to be open about it. I'm looking forward to my agent talking to Brad and seeing what's going on. I'm very open to it."
The Flames are coming off winning a Pacific Division title in 2021-22, but fell in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to their cross-province rivals, the Edmonton Oilers.
The club has been on the NHL's centre stage throughout the off-season, marked by departures from both Gaudreau and Tkachuk which shook the hockey world and forced Calgary to re-tool entering next season.
