"I might get booed": Flames' Huberdeau primed for emotional Florida return

Nov 19 2022, 4:16 pm

Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau will return to Florida for the first time with some mixed emotions.

Potentially some reactions, too.

Huberdeau, who was swapped alongside MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, and a conditional first round draft pick, isn’t sure what kind of reception he’ll receive from the Florida Panthers faithful in his first spin back at his old barn after the summer’s blockbuster swap.

“I might get booed, that’s what (Weegar) has been saying,” Huberdeau, who counts the weather and snow as his adjustments to Calgary, told media Friday. “I gave everything I had here. We’ll see. That was 10 years of my life, my career, and it was home for me. Hopefully, I get a good ovation.

“It was a great chapter of my life. Obviously, I was here for 10 years. Great memories. We’ve been through ups and downs. That was cool, but obviously trades happen and it’s a business. Now it’s time to turn the page.”

Huberdeau is the Panthers’ all-time franchise leader in points and games played.

He was moved as part of the NHL’s first true sign-and-trade when Matthew Tkachuk agreed to leave Calgary for sunnier surroundings.

Like Huberdeau, Weegar isn’t sure what to necessarily expect from Saturday afternoon’s affair.

“I think when we play this game (Saturday), you know, and we thank everybody and we get the salute, or, you know, maybe a couple boos… I have no idea what the reception is going to be like… but I think at the end of the day, you know, when the game is all done, it’s kind of the end of the chapter, which is probably the most emotional part about it,” Weegar said.

“But, at the same time, I think we’re ready to move on.”

Probably easier for Tkachuk, who in a roundabout way orchestrated the move. Huberdeau and Weegar weren’t expecting it.

Settled into new surroundings, the pesky No. 19 is a top-10 scorer in the NHL this season with 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 15 games. Huberdeau and Weegar can’t combine to reach that total, with the former netting eight points (two goals, six assists) in 13 games, and the latter registering four assists through 16 skates.

But Saturday’s affair will give each a chance to close out a chapter.

And go all-in on inking a new one.

“You look forward to it,” Huberdeau said. “In the summer, after the trade, I circled that date. Obviously, I want to do well and I want us to win. And after that, it’s turn the page.

“That’s how it is going to be.”

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Aaron VickersAaron Vickers

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