The Calgary Flames have re-signed Jonathan Huberdeau to an eight-year deal worth a total of $84M. The elite forward recently met with general manager Brad Treliving in person and getting the contract done was clearly top of mind for both parties. Now, the Flames have set a franchise record with the biggest deal in its history.
The Flames already started the month of August off with the burner turned all the way up to maximum. After handling contract extensions with restricted free agents Oliver Kylington and Andrew Mangiapane, the Flames went and checked off the biggest contract of them all.
Huberdeau’s contract details
The contract is an eight-year deal with an $10.5M average annual value (AAV). The extension sees him signed through the 2030–31 season, making him the first NHL player to reach that mark. The $10.5 AAV represents a cap hit percentage of 12.73% on an $82.5M cap.
Huberdeau’s contract is now the biggest contract in Flames franchise history. No player has ever been signed to an eight-digit AAV prior to this. Coincidentally, Matthew Tkachuk held the franchise record for highest AAV at $7M on his three-year bridge deal as an actual Flames player, and also the higher but short-lived AAV record at $9.5M as a part of his sign-and-trade deal.
As per Ryan Pike, the contract breaks a few franchise records with AAV, total value, and the first true eight-year deal as a Flame, emphasis on as a Flame—again, Tkachuk was also signed to eight years if you go by technicalities.
Elliotte Friedman then provided the year-by-year breakdown of Huberdeau’s contract. Huberdeau holds a full no-movement clause (NMC) and has a modified no-trade clause (M-NTC) in the final two years with a list of 12 teams he’d be willing to be traded to.
| Contract Year | Season | Signing Bonuses | Base Salary | Clauses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023–24 | $7.0M | $3.5M | NMC |
| 2 | 2024–25 | $7.0M | $3.5M | NMC |
| 3 | 2025–26 | $7.0M | $3.5M | NMC |
| 4 | 2026–27 | $9.5M | $1.0M | NMC |
| 5 | 2027–28 | $9.5M | $1.0M | NMC |
| 6 | 2028–29 | $7.0M | $3.5M | NMC |
| 7 | 2029–30 | $9.5M | $1.0M | M-NTC |
| 8 | 2030–31 | $5.0M | $5.5M | M-NTC |
The Flames are shaping up
As mentioned, it’s been a big week for the Flames already with contracts, announcing the Calgary Wranglers, and now the biggest deal in franchise history. There’s still more to tend to like re-signing Adam Ruzicka and possibly also extending MacKenzie Weegar as some major points to tend to, not to mention preparing for training camp and finalising their roster in time for the season opener.
Time to breathe a major sigh of relief and go into weekend on a high note, but let’s be clear, the Flames are not done yet.
