The Carolina Hurricanes have claimed goaltender Spencer Martin off waivers from the Blue Jackets, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Hurricanes confirmed the news on Friday after reports first broke.
A netminder with nearly 40 starts over the past two seasons is hopefully going to help a Hurricanes team that has been looking for some additional goaltending help most of the season. At 28 years old, Spencer Martin has recorded a 3-8-1 record, a 3.65 goals-against average, and a .887 save percentage across 13 NHL games with the Blue Jackets in the current season.
The 6’3”, 191-pound goaltender holds a career NHL record of 17-25-6, with a 3.63 goals-against average and .886 save percentage over 51 games played, spanning stints with Columbus, Vancouver, and Colorado.
Martin was waived by the Blue Jackets Thursday with the intention of assigning him to the Cleveland Monsters. However, on Friday, the Carolina Hurricanes claimed Martin off waivers, bringing an end to his tenure with Columbus. Martin started 10 games for the Blue Jackets, going 3-8-1 with a save % of .886. In total, he played in 13 games for Columbus. Clearly, the numbers were not good. At the same time, Columbus has had a disaster season.
Following a mid-September trade by the Canucks to acquire Casey DeSmith from the Canadiens as the designated primary backup to starting goalie Thatcher Demko, Spencer Martin found himself demoted to third on the organizational depth chart. Subsequently, at the end of the month, the Canucks placed him on waivers, leading to his claim by the Blue Jackets. In Columbus, Martin assumed the role of backup goalie, stepping in while youngster Daniil Tarasov was sidelined with a knee injury.
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