Flames GM Conroy clarifies Huberdeau’s status: ‘Matter of when, not if’ he returns
Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy has cleared the air about comments he made earlier in the week about the status of winger Jonathan Huberdeau’s recovery from hip resurfacing surgery.
Huberdeau, 33, is still working through his rehabilitation process following the operation, which he underwent back in March. On Tuesday, Conroy raised eyebrows around the hockey world when he told QR770 radio host Jock Wilson that Huberdeau suffered a recent setback in his recovery, but he corrected the record on Friday in a subsequent interview with Sportsnet’s Eric Francis.
“It was a poor choice of words on my part,” Conroy told Francis. “It’s not that there was a setback. It was more the hope in me that he was going to be ready for camp. What I meant was it was a setback that he won’t, probably, be ready for the first day of camp. That’s where I made my mistake.
“There’s an appropriate timeline for this, between seven and nine months, and obviously we were hoping for the earliest return possible. But everybody is different,” Conroy added.
Huberdeau skated in 50 games with the Flames during the 2025-26 season, collecting 10 goals and 25 points, before being shut down to undergo the surgery. The veteran winger had been living and playing through daily pain, something Conroy told Francis is no longer the case.
Conroy has consistently emphasized that the Flames intend to play it slow with Huberdeau, which means he may not take part in the team’s 2026 training camp or the start of the 2026-27 regular season. However, the fourth-year executive remains confident that Huberdeau will eventually return to the lineup on a full-time basis.
“He’s feeling good and is without the pain that he used to have at all times, so that’s the best part,” Conroy said. “Now, it’s just for him to feel 100 percent ready to go into physical contact, game-playing and all that. We believe it’s just a matter of when, not if.”
Huberdeau underwent his hip resurfacing procedure in New York City under the care of Dr. Edwin P. Su, who has overseen similar operations on Patrick Kane and John Klingberg; both players subsequently resumed their NHL careers after the surgery.
The Flames originally acquired Huberdeau from the Florida Panthers in 2022. Huberdeau still has five years remaining on the contract extension he signed with Calgary shortly after the trade; he is the Flames’ highest-paid player, making an average of $10.5 million per season.
With Huberdeau’s availability for the start of the season in doubt, the Flames have invited winger Alex Nylander to their 2026 training camp on a professional tryout. The Flames will open their 2026-27 regular season slate of games against the Seattle Kraken at the Saddledome on Oct. 1.
