Martin Pospisil is exactly the energy the Calgary Flames need in the lineup every night and earned a two-year extension worth $1M a season
The kid has pop. Jam. Juice. Edginess. Whatever you want to call it, there’s a lot to like about Calgary Flames prospect Martin Pospisil.
Less than 24 hours after he smacked arguably the top NHL pest in the game today in the face and got booted from the game, the Flames impending restricted free agent forward received a contract extension.
The Flames gave Pospisil a new two-year contract at a cool $1 million AAV.
Given his ability to energize a group that needs that injection of nitroglycerin nightly, there was no reason to delay making a deal.
“We have seen tremendous growth and maturity in Martin’s game since we drafted him in 2018,” Flames General Manager Craig Conroy said in a press release.
“Martin has become a big part of our team, and we are excited to have him under contract for the next two years.”
Thriving alongside fellow rookie Connor Zary and veteran centre Nazem Kadri, Pospisil debuted on Nov. 4, making an early impression by scoring in his first NHL game. The 24-year-old may be a secondary scorer with four goals and 11 points in 34 games, but there’s a lot of offensive upside and his constant motor is exactly the kind of vitality the franchise needs.
His 37 penalty minutes include the handful he received for making Brad Marchand pay for digging around the crease during a 4-1 win in Boston this week.
Despite being tossed from the game, there will be no supplemental discipline for the 24-year-old. Marchand, for the record, also received a slashing penalty on the play.
Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom took a few extra whacks from Marchand’s stick after a save, and Pospisil engaged with a high hit that was called a cross-check around the head. It took a few minutes of review to assess the penalty and he was ejected as a result.
Despite the short return, he made a big impression in his first game back since an upper-body injury on Jan. 18 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Many are looking forward to see what the Zvolen, SVK, product can do over the next couple of years.