Jonathan Huberdeau wastes no time and takes parting shots at Darryl Sutter after he's fired

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Cooper Godin
May 2, 2023 (11:27)

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The Calgary Flames made a massive move on Monday by firing head coach Darryl Sutter, just two months before his new contract extension was set to kick in.

Sutter's relationship with several players and others in the organization has been questioned in recent months and following the news of his firing, Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau admitted that he didn't see eye-to-eye with his former coach.

"It really didn't click between me and Darryl last year," Huberdeau said. "There were a lot of factors. There was a big difference in points between my last two years. And the style of play he wanted to play, it didn't fit my style."

He added, "Having a new coach is going to help my game and my confidence, too."

Huberdeau also went on to share his thoughts on how Sutter treated rookie forward Jakob Pelletier following his NHL debut. For those who don't remember, Sutter was asked post-game after their 6-3 win over Tampa Bay on January 21st about how he thought Pelletier played, with the ex-Flames coach saying "what number he was again?"

"Why say that to the media and then go see the kid to tell him he played well?" Huberdeau said.

He continued, "We were all disappointed. Especially for a young kid who comes in and doesn't need that as a young player. He just wants to play well for himself and the team. We were saying, 'That's Darryl.'"

Huberdeau had a significant dip in production during the 2022-23 season when compared to his previous campaign, where he had 115 points in 80 games. In 79 games during his first season with Calgary, Huberdeau put up 55 points (15 goals, 40 assists).

The Saint-Jerome (Quebec) native is set to enter the first year of his new eight-year contract next season which will see him earn $10.5 million AAV.

Source: theScore