The 2026/27 NHL season is now less than three weeks away from starting, and while the expectations around the team are very, very low, there's going to be plenty of reasons for Calgary Flames fans to tune in.
Most of that revolves around the future, with players such as Zayne Parekh, Simon Nemec and Matvei Gridin all aiming to cement themselves as potential stars of the future for the franchise. However, after all the trades we've seen under Craig Conroy in the past three years, there's also some potential trades on the way for the Flames as they look to continue adding future assets for what is shaping up as a potentially great rebuild.
One player that fans hope could be traded soon is Jonathan Huberdeau, and while the contract is still not a great one, with the rising salary cap, a bounce back campaign could make him very valuable once again. Unfortunately, there was a recent update from Conroy that Huberdeau suffered a setback in his return from injury, and now his status ahead of the regular season opener has been made official.
Jonathan Huberdeau Ruled Out of Calgary Flames Opener
Last season, Huberdeau was limited to just 50 games before his season ended ahead of hip resurfacing surgery, an injury that could be detremental to his future in the National Hockey League. At 33-years-old, it's not going to be easy for Huberdeau to get back to 100%, and in the past week, he suffered an injury setback in his return, one that called into question his availability for training camp.
Now, Craig Conroy has confirmed that Huberdeau will not be ready for the regular season, as his training camp will come a little later on, with plenty of optimism remaining that he'll be on the ice for the team at some point in 2026.
GM Craig Conroy confirms Jonathan Huberdeau won’t start the regular season as he continues to recover from hip resurfacing surgery in the spring.
— Pat Steinberg (@SteinbergYYC) September 10, 2026
Says Huberdeau will start training camp skating on his own and get integrated into the group later on. #Flames
What Can the Calgary Flames Expect From Jonathan Huberdeau This Season?
In 2024/25, Huberdeau had his best season as a member of the Calgary Flames, posting 28 goals and 62 points in 81 games, and while that's not worthy of a player earning over $10 million per season, given what we saw in his first two seasons, that was certainly a solid campaign.
Unfortunately, it all fell apart in 2025/26, mostly due to the injury, with Huberdeau posting just 10 goals and 25 points in 50 games played, with the playmaking and the goalscoring from the year prior completely disappearing. The hope coming into this summer was that the surgery could get Huberdeau back to 100% and the player he once was, but unfortunately, the injury will now delay his return, although his absence may now give the likes of both Samuel Honzek and Connor Zary a genuine opportunity in the lineup.
As of right now, there's no guarantees of when we'll see No. 10 back on the ice, but for now, it's clear that he won't be ready for the season opener, with the team now having a middle-six forward role to fill as a result.
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