The Calgary Flames have signed forward Martin Pospisil to a two-year, $2MM contract extension. The new deal will carry a $1MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season.
Pospisil has become a fan-favorite since playing in his NHL debut on November 4th. He scored his first career goal in his first game, kicking off a hot streak that saw Pospisil net three goals and five points in his first seven NHL games. He’s lost his scoring touch since, totaling just 11 points through 34 games up to this point. His role has become much grittier, with Pospisil tallying 23 penalty minutes since January 1st – more than any other Flame. He’s up to 37 penalty minutes on the season, ranking second on the team to Andrew Mangiapane.
Calgary drafted Pospisil in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He’s already played more NHL games than all but two players taken that round, behind Philipp Kurashev and Paul Cotter. Pospisil turned pro soon after getting drafted, playing 26 games with the Flames AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, in the 2019-20 season. He recorded 10 points and 56 penalty minutes that season – ranking third on the team in penalty minutes despite playing roughly 20 fewer games than anyone else in the top five.
Pospisil made his professional debut soon after his draft, playing in 26 games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat in the 2019-20 season. He quickly established himself as a physical presence, ranking third on the team with 56 penalty minutes, despite sitting out 29 of the team’s 45 games. That presence has followed him, with Pospisil setting a career-high 95 penalty minutes in 47 games during the 2021-22 season. He’s now proving his physicality at the top level, throwing hits at a rate greater than any other Flame and earning his first million-dollar contract. That physicality got him into some trouble last night against Boston when he received a major penalty for cross-checking but Sportsnet’s Eric Francis relayed earlier today that there would be no supplementary discipline heading his way.