Some news broke yesterday that Martin Pospisil has signed a two year extension with the Calgary Flames. No one had Pospisil as a guy that was going to crack the Flames lineup in 2023–24. He has not only made the lineup but has figured on a line with Nazem Kadri and rookie Connor Zary. He has been a fantastic story, and some much-needed added grease into the Flames lineup.
His addition, along with Zary and others, signals a philosophical change from Flames management. Fewer slow veteran fourth lines and a bunch of professional tryouts (PTOs) in training camp. More chances for young players to show the team why they drafted and developed them.
Flames record with Pospisil in the lineup is much better than without
Whether it’s just coincidence, or there is an underlying pattern here, the results speak for themselves:
The team had a 2–7–1 record to start the 2023–24 season before calling Martin Pospisil (and Zary) up. Pospisil missed two games in December: December 5 against the Wild and December 9 against the New Jersey Devils. The Flames lost both of those games. The team also went 1–3–0 with Pospisil out with injury before the All-Star break.
A 0.647 points percentage with Pospisil in the lineup equates to a top-ten team in the NHL this season. Read that again. The Flames are a top-ten team with Pospisil in the lineup. In games without Pospisil, the Flames are leading the Macklin Celebrini conversation. It’s a complete 180.
Again, it all might be a dumb coincidence. But, this does demonstrate the effect that young players have in the lineup. As Calgary moves on with its changing roster, there needs to be a focus on youth and draft capital moving forward.
Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire
