It’s been a tough road in Calgary for Jonathan Huberdeau.
Since the blockbuster trade in 2022 that sent him from sunny Florida to the snowy streets of Calgary, Alberta, the winger has never truly found his footing as a Flame.
In Florida, he posted a 115-point season in 2021–22, but his production dropped with Calgary to 55 points in 2022–23. That 60-point plunge gave him the NHL record for the largest single-season point drop-off.
At one point in 2023–24, he was benched for an entire period. There have been a lot of lows for the Saint-Jerome, Quebec native.
And now, in the present day, Huberdeau is recovering from what has been a career-ending surgery for professional athletes.
There’s a chance that this could be it for Jonathan Huberdeau.
The Injury
In February 2026, it was announced that Huberdeau would undergo hip resurfacing surgery and prematurely end his 2025–26 season.
Huberdeau’s hip had reportedly been bothering him for some time. When the Flames took a 3-week break for the 2026 Winter Olympics, it was the perfect time.
Huberdeau had the surgery in March 2026. In June, he said he was pain-free for the first time in a long time and resumed light skating.
An update came earlier this month from Flames General Manager Craig Conroy, saying,
“I think this is a major surgery, so he had a little bit of a setback, maybe two weeks ago, with his skating,”
“We just want to make sure we do the right thing for him. If it is to take a little bit more time, and have him 100 per cent feeling good about the hip, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Since then, Huberdeau has been confirmed to miss the start of training camp. Barring a miracle, he won’t be ready to start the regular season.
Huberdeau weighed in, saying:
“Obviously I wanted to be ready for training camp, that was my goal.
But with this kind of surgery, there’s not a lot of data you know, you’re gonna come back at some point.
I won’t be starting training camp, but I can only do it once, so I wanna come back and be really 100%.”
The Prognosis
A few players have had hip resurfacing surgery in the NHL.
Most were physically able to return to the ice. The question was whether they were the same player as they were prior to the injury.
Ryan Kesler underwent hip resurfacing surgery on both hips. Despite efforts at a comeback, Kesler never played in the NHL again.
Carl Hagelin had the resurfacing operation done in February 2023, and announced his retirement that August. In the case of Hagelin, an eye injury was also a contributing factor.
Nicklas Backstrom returned to the Washington Capitals lineup seven months after the resurfacing surgery. Ultimately, he left the NHL when the lingering effects of the operation hindered his ability to keep up at the NHL level.
Patrick Kane may be the exception to the surgery’s career implications.
Kane had resurfacing surgery in June 2023 and made his Detroit Red Wings debut six months later in December.
As of this writing, Kane is the only one of the aforementioned players who was able to make a full comeback following hip resurfacing surgery.
As a professional athlete, hip resurfacing surgery is a major operation and can greatly hinder an athlete’s ability. The surgery trims and caps the ball of the joint with a smooth metal covering while preserving the natural femoral bone.
The surgery has a higher success rate for running, cutting, and pivoting compared to a traditional hip replacement.
So, the prognosis for Huberdeau’s long-term future on the ice isn’t very optimistic. Yet, it’s not impossible that he could play out the remaining five years of his contract.
At 33 and coming off a major injury, surgery, and recovery, it’s plausible we could be seeing Huberdeau’s last dance as a professional hockey player.
Flames management and Huberdeau himself are optimistic about a return to the ice. And here at The Win Column, we wish him well in his impending comeback.
You must be logged in to post a comment.