Flames give fan favorite two-year extension

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Martin Pospisil to a two-year, $2 million contract extension, the team announced on Wednesday. The new deal will carry a $1 million cap hit through the 2025-26 season.

Pospisil has become a fan-favorite since playing in his NHL debut on Nov. 4. 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 contests. 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 Jan. 1 – 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.

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.