Jonathan Huberdeau: A Look at the Panthers’ Superstar Forward through 25 Games
Jonathan Huberdeau is quickly emerging as one of the NHL’s elite talents, and is without a doubt one of the most underrated players in the league. The Panthers’ franchise leader in Points is currently leading the team in Points (30), Assists (20), and is tied for the team lead in Goals (10) through 25 games. Huberdeau is scoring an average of 1.2 points per game, and is currently on pace for 67 points in this COVID-19 shortened season (which has 56 total regular season games as opposed to the traditional 82-game NHL season). During a normal season at this current pace Huberdeau would be on pace for 98 total points, which would be the highest single season points total for a single player in Panthers franchise history. Current Panthers Captain, and first-line Center Aleksander Barkov holds the single-season points record for the franchise when he totaled 96 points in the 2018–2019 season.
Huberdeau displays elite level playmaking ability almost every time he hops over the boards onto the ice. Any time that Huberdeau has the puck on his stick you almost have to force yourself not to blink, otherwise you could miss one of his ridiculous passes leading to a scoring opportunity. I’ve been watching the Panthers for over 25 years, and I cannot recall a player in their history who was able to thread the puck through an opposing team with as much ease and grace as Huberdeau is able to. He makes it look so effortless as well.
Huberdeau is no slouch when it comes to stick-handling and forechecking. Huberdeau constantly appears to be wherever the puck is in an opposing team’s zone. It doesn’t matter whether the puck is along the side boards, in the corners, or behind the opposing team’s net, you’ll typically find #11 in a battle to possess the puck.
It’s a cliché at this point, but it still needs to be said. If Jonathan Huberdeau played in a market that was larger than the one in South Florida, odds are he would be mentioned as frequently as some of the league’s other big stars. Huberdeau has taken his play to another level these past few seasons, and he only looks like he’s getting better. If you ever find yourself flipping through some channels, or browsing NHL content and you notice the Panthers playing, it might be worth your time just to see what kind of magic that Huberdeau can create on a nightly basis.
