The Carolina Hurricanes have claimed goaltender Spencer Martin off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the club announced Friday afternoon.
Martin, 28, has a 3–8–1 record and an .887 save percentage through 13 games with the Blue Jackets this year. He’s under contract at a $762,500 cap hit through the end of the 2023–24 season.
The Hurricanes needed an extra body to run in tandem with Antti Raanta while Pyotr Kochetkov continues to recover from a concussion. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news of Martin being claimed by Carolina on Friday.
The 6’3″ Martin has appeared in 51 NHL games during his career with the Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche, going 17–25–6 with an .886 save percentage. He has yet to record a shutout or appear in a playoff game in the NHL.
The Oakville, Ontario product earned his first substantial tour of duty in the NHL with the Canucks in 2022–23, posting an 11–15–1 record and an .871 save percentage in 29 games while splitting the crease with Thatcher Demko.
After acquiring Casey DeSmith to serve as their new backup to Demko, the Canucks placed Martin on waivers at the end of September 2023. The Blue Jackets claimed him the following day and largely rotated between Martin, Elvis Merzlikins, and Daniil Tarasov for the first half of the season.
The Hurricanes are in a bit of a unique position this season without an AHL affiliate to call their own. As such, they’ve had to stash goaltending prospect Yaniv Perets in the ECHL for much of the year, bringing him up periodically while Raanta, Kochetkov, and Frederik Andersen have been injured or otherwise available.
Martin gives Carolina a bit of extra flexibility in the crease for the time being, although he likely won’t be in the lineup Friday night when the Hurricanes return to action against the Detroit Red Wings at PNC Arena in Raleigh.
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