On July 23, The Athletic released its revised lists of the NHL’s best and worst contracts, and as expected, the Calgary Flames found themselves on the worst list, but in an odd twist to the rankings, also found themselves on the best list.
As a rebuilding team with good NHL Draft Lottery odds, it is quite surprising to see them with such a bad contract that they’d be on the worst list, since the goal is to be younger and cheaper. Still, there’s no denying that Jonathan Huberdeau‘s $10.5 million salary does complicate bookkeeping at the Saddledome.
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With all this negative press about one player’s mosterous contract, it kinda overshadows the excitement that the Flames have Dustin Wolf locked up until the next decade on a relatively inexpensive deal. If he happens to win the Vezina Trophy before his deal expires in 2033, there’s no denying his $7.5 million could be considered the heist of the century.
Today, we discuss why these deals popped up on The Athletic’s lists and what it means long term for the organization as they move into Scotia Place next season.
For the third consecutive year, Huberdeau’s $84 million contract, which pays him $10.5 million annually, ranks as the league’s worst contract. After scoring 115 points in 2021-22, he came to Calgary via a trade and was immediately signed to a blockbuster deal.
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In his first season, he scored 15 goals and 55 points, exactly 60 points fewer than the year before. He collected even fewer points in 2023-24, with just 12 goals and 52 points and a team-worst minus-29 rating. Despite bouncing back with 28 goals and 62 points in 2024-25, he only skated in 50 games last year, scoring 10 goals and 25 points.
In 2026-27, Huberdeau’s contract will count 10.1% towards the Flames’ cap, and at 33, many believe his best days are behind him. Hopefully, coming back from hip surgery will give him a chance to find chemistry with the team’s young core, but for the past few seasons, Calgary has been one of the lowest teams in the NHL.
Considering his hefty salary, everyone expects more from Huberdeau, but with unappealing statistics, it makes it almost impossible to trade him and offer him a change of scenery and a fresh start.
All-Rookie goalie Wolf is about to begin his new contract extension, which will pay him $7.5 million for the next seven seasons. As the undisputed number one goalie, the Flames will only go as far as Wolf can carry them. Last year, for the first time in his professional hockey career, he produced a losing season, posting a 23-29-3 record as Calgary secured the fourth-best draft lottery odds.
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As the organization continues to rebuild, Wolf is the only reason one of the lowest-scoring teams isn’t being run out of every building they play in. He had a spectacular 2024-25 campaign, going 29-16-8 and kept the Flames close to a wildcard spot, only losing out in the final weeks of the season.
Throughout their history, Calgary has had some great goalies, but there hasn’t been a single youngster to come in and ignite the fanbase as Wolf has since Miikka Kiprusoff in the early 2000s.
Do you agree with The Athletic’s assessments of the league’s best and worst contracts? Are their opinions on Huberdeau and Wolf valid? Let us know what you think in the comments.
