Huberdeau distances himself from agent Walsh's Flames tweet: 'I had no idea'
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Calgary Flames star Jonathan Huberdeau said Friday he was unaware that agent Allan Walsh was going to send an inflammatory tweet about the state of the team on Thursday night.
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result," Walsh tweeted on Thursday night. "Also, negativity sucks the joy right out of players. cc: @NHLFlames."
Huberdeau said he called Walsh after finding out about the tweet.
"I had no idea," said Huberdeau after Friday's practice. "I woke up this morning and I had a lot of notifications on my phone. You guys all know Allan, you know? You guys know him probably, maybe a lot more than I do.
"We're all frustrated…We can play better…it doesn't come from me," he added. "It's, like, my agent…it's from him. It's his account. He made that tweet, so that doesn't reflect on me or on the guys. We all love each other. We're a close team."
The Flames are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Red Wings Thursday night and sit third in the wild card race in the Western Conference.
Huberdeau, who was acquired by Calgary in an off-season blockbuster trade along with MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a 2025 conditional first-round draft pick from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round draft pick, has struggled to produce this season. After scoring 30 goals and recording 115 points in 82 games in 2021-22, he has just 10 goals and 36 points in 52 games so far this season.
The Flames are just 4-4-2 in their last 10 games and Huberdeau has only three goals since Dec. 14.
The 29-year-old also downplayed any sort of rift with head coach Darryl Sutter.
"Darryl's Darryl," said Huberdeau. "Sometimes, you know, you won't like what the coach [does], but you know, and some nights…You're never a hundred per cent happy with the coach and his decisions and stuff like that. Me and Darryl have a great connection, great friendship."
At the end of the day, Huberdeau admits he would've preferred that Walsh had not sent the tweet.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be be here [laughs]…I would be on my way home," he said.