Calgary Flames Need To Set Example With Healthy Scratch Martin Pospisil – Hockey Writers –

Sunday night was far from a performance worthy of a banner from Martin Pospisil. Against the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames managed to erase a two-goal deficit to tie things up early in the third period, but a big mistake from Pospisil killed all the momentum they had built up.

Related: 3 Takeaways From Flames’ 4-2 Loss to Oilers

That big mistake was an unexpected penalty midway through the third period, when the 24-year-old took a stick from Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm. It was a carelessness penalty that came because Pospisil didn’t move his feet. To make matters worse, it was an offensive zone penalty, which always drives the coaches crazy.

The Oilers did what the Oilers do and made the Flames pay, as Zach Hyman put a nice slap shot over Dan Vladar’s shoulder to retake the lead. That was all he wrote, as Mattias Janmark closed things out with an empty netter shortly after to give the Oilers a 4-2 victory.

Huska is not happy

If this were to be an off-off for Pospisil, it would be very easy for head coach Ryan Huska and the Flames fan base to forgive him. After all, mistakes happen, and while it was a careless penalty, it was clearly not a minor two-minute incident taken on purpose.

This has become the norm for Pospisil, however, who is quickly making a name for himself by taking penalties early in his NHL career. He had 109 penalty minutes as a rookie last season, a ridiculous total considering he never appeared in a single game. So far in 2024-25, it’s been pretty much the same.

To Pospisil’s credit, his 17 penalty minutes in 12 games doesn’t put him in a bad situation like he was last season. Also, five of those penalty minutes came for fighting Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster. That said, most of his mistakes early on were selfish, and he was even benched early in the season after taking two separate tackles against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“We will do everything possible to train it out of him. There are different ways you can do that, but a lot depends on the player,” said Huska after the match. “It’s twice now. It’s not right.”

“He is the type of player who should play with an edge, but it is not a reckless style that he should play,” Huska continued. “At the end of the day the points are the most important, it’s hard to win in this league. If you cross the line a little, it can cost you the game. I think he understands it, and he has to really work to be a better player for us.”

The message does not come through

As mentioned, Pospisil has been reprimanded for misconduct in the past, having been benched earlier in the season. That clearly didn’t work, as he went back to his old ways again last night. At this point, it’s pretty clear what Huska needs to do to finally get that message across.

The Flames are back in action tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, and it would be best if Pospisil stays as a healthy scratch. It’s not ideal, as he brings something different to their lineup because of his speed and body, but at some point, it’s enough.

Related: 5 Takeaways from the Flames’ First 10 Games

Not only should this be a wake-up call for Pospisil, but it will also show everyone in the Flames locker room that unethical play will not be tolerated. This is not a roster full of talent, which means that if they hope to compete, they must play flawless hockey, which Pospisil did not do.

The Flames have the bodies to make this happen, as Justin Kirkland sat out the last two games as a healthy option. He’s well-deserved to return to the lineup based on how well he played earlier this season, and putting him back over Pospisil would be a tough, but important message for Huska to send.