"I think he'll double his point total": Savard expresses confidence in Flames' Huberdeau
Calgary Flames assistant coach Marc Savard can’t wait to work with Jonathan Huberdeau next season.
Not often is there buzz around hiring an assistant coach, but that was exactly what occurred when it was announced that Savard would be joining the Flames. The 45-year-old was one of the NHL’s best playmakers during his prime and finished his career with 706 points in 807 games.
Not only was the Savard hiring exciting given that he spent parts of four seasons in a Flames uniform, but also because of the way he approaches the game. Rather than the systematic approach the Flames brought to the ice last season, Savard prefers to let his players open things up, which could benefit one Flame in particular: Jonathan Huberdeau. Unsurprisingly, Savard told George Rusic on The Big Show with Rusic & Rose that he can’t wait to help coach the 30-year-old winger.
“Really excited. Obviously, he was one of my first calls once I got the job and [Ryan Huska] got me to reach out to him,” Savard said. “We had a really good conversation for about 40 minutes. He expressed to me what he’d like to see more of and I expressed to him that I’d like to see him do that more.”
In his first season with the Flames after being acquired in a trade last summer, Huberdeau disappointed with just 55 points. Fans hope to see him turn things around in 2023-24, and Savard seems confident he will do just that.
“I think he’s excited to get back and throw last season in the garbage and move back to where he knows he can be,” Savard said. “I think you’re going to get a different Jonathan Huberdeau this year. I think he’s going to be excellent and I think he’ll double his point totals like he knows he can.”
In the season prior to being traded, Huberdeau put up a career-high 115 points with the Florida Panthers. With his eight-year, $84 million extension kicking in next season, the Flames are hoping he can turn things around, and this new coaching regime may help him do just that.
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