The Carolina Hurricanes have played well as of late. Carolina has won seven of their last nine games, and are currently in a battle with the Detroit Red Wings in a crucial matchup in the Eastern Conference playoff race. In order to keep the momentum going, the team added depth in goal on Friday.
The Hurricanes claimed goaltender Spencer Martin from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team announced. Martin, 28, has played in 13 games for Columbus this season. Overall, he has posted a record of 3-8-1 with a save percentage of .887 this year.
The Hurricanes are the fourth team Martin will play for. He debuted in 2016-17, playing three games for the Colorado Avalanche. His next NHL action came in 2021-22 when he suited up for the Vancouver Canucks. Martin played a career-high 29 games for Vancouver in 2022-23 before being claimed by Columbus prior to this season.
Hurricanes have needed depth in goal
While things have gone well for Carolina as of late, they certainly have a need for depth in between the pipes. Starting goalie Frederik Andersen has missed most of the season due to a blood clotting issue. That has left young netminder Pyotr Kochetkov and veteran Antti Raanta in charge of keeping pucks out of the net.
So far, things haven’t exactly gone swimmingly. Kochetkov has a respectable .900 save percentage through 23 games this year. Raanta, however, has struggled to an .869 save percentage entering Friday night’s matchup with the Red Wings. Both goalies have also struggled with injuries this year.
Adding Martin to the mix gives Carolina some insurance. The Hurricanes likely hope Martin’s less-than-ideal numbers are mostly a result of playing in front of one of the worst teams in the league. Columbus is in last place in the Metropolitan Division, sitting 10 points behind the New Jersey Devils.
The Hurricanes are ramping up for a playoff push, and hope this move stabilizes them in goal, at least in the short term. Let’s see how Spencer Martin performs for Carolina, and whether he can pick them up important wins down the stretch in 2023-24.
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