The Carolina Hurricanes have a lot of things working for them this year. Their goaltending, while certainly better than the beginning of the season, is not one of those going so smoothly this year. So, when the Hurricanes lost Pyotr Kochetkov to a concussion, they decided to pluck Spencer Martin off the waiver wire from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Is this the “big move in net” the Hurricanes are going to make this year? Or more interesting, should it be? Probably not. But Spencer Martin can bring something to Carolina that could prove beneficial to a solid playoff run. Here we take a look at some expectations for Spencer Martin.
Spencer Martin from Columbus to Carolina
With so much uncertainty in net and unfortunate injuries to Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen, the Hurricanes decided to pick up Spencer Martin off waivers from the Blue Jackets. Not that Martin was a highly coveted asset amongst the league, but he was an experienced goaltender who could at the least buy Carolina some time while injuries heal and other options may become available. With Kochetkov and Andersen out, the only other option besides Raanta was rookie goalie Yaniv Perets, currently with the Norfolk Admirals in the ECHL.
Martin came to Carolina with a 3-8-1 record and a 3.65 GAA and .887 SV%. Not exactly great. But the numbers may at least partially be due to the Blue Jackets struggling as a team this year. For example, John Gibson last season finished with a .899 SV% and 3.99 GAA. But most realize that Gibson is a top-tier goalie and his numbers were more reflective of the Anaheim Ducks. So now you have Martin, who has played the journeyman all of his career, with a chip on his shoulder and a much stronger, and defensively focused, team in front of him. Goalies are not as consistent as to when they develop or have a breakout season, too. Martin is 28 and could see his best years ahead of him.
It was a small sample size so fans’ expectations should be in check, but Spencer Martin’s first showing for the Hurricanes was nothing to scoff at. He stopped 26 of 28 shots from the tough Boston Bruins to give Carolina the victory. His GAA was 2.00 but his SV% was .929. It was a feel-good moment for the goalie and the team. But remember it’s one game. The Hurricanes beat the Toronto Maple Leafs using David Ayres a few years ago so….. However, now that the Martin era has started in Carolina, what are the expectations, possibilities and likelihoods of them this season and beyond?
The 2024 Curtis McElhinney
While the timing, circumstances and goalies are different, Carolina picking up Martin while in a need takes us back to a previous time the Hurricanes shopped the waiver wire, and it turned out quite successful. Right before the 2018-19 season, the Maple Leafs put veteran goaltender Curtis McElhinney on waivers. The Scott Darling experiment in Carolina was crashing and Alex Nedeljkovic was young and unseasoned. Petr Mrazek was designated as the number one but the number two was anything but certain. In comes McElhinney on waivers.
Many thought this was an interesting move with fairly low expectations. But also low risks. Sound familiar? But then 2018-19 became the first season the Hurricanes would return to the playoffs in a decade. And McElhinney had a big role in that. He finished the regular season 20-11-2 with a 2.58 GAA and .912 SV%. McElhinney’s cool, calm and collected style perfectly balanced Mrazek’s highly active, almost spastic, style. McElhinney continued his play in the playoffs and helped the Hurricanes unexpectedly sweep the New York Islanders. Maybe not as Disney-like as the David Ayres story, but it was a noteworthy story for the year.
So could Martin become the team’s 2024 McElhinney? Let’s see. Both fit the journeyman label with something to prove. Both picked up on waivers. And both fit a role for Carolina in a time of need. McElhinney was around ten years older when he came to Carolina than Martin but both came to Carolina following years of venturing around the league. Albeit Martin with much less. There’s something to be said about having to prove yourself over and over in different scenarios. It’s how the player responds to that adversity that can make all the difference. We could very well see Martin take this opportunity to shine as a true backup goalie for Carolina this season and steal some wins. Much like Mac did in 2018-19.
Likelihood of possibility: 6/10
A Match Made in Heaven
The next possibility is the J.D. Rockefeller striking oil in his backyard type of possibility. Remote chance, but possible. As stated above, Martin isn’t coming to Carolina with super high expectations. He really hasn’t had any “top of the league” season to get back to nor is he coming in with stellar numbers. Is he a top-of-the-league calibre talent like a Martin Brodeur or Dominik Hasek? Probably not. But for some goalies, finding the right team might be the power-up they need to excel. Some find it and some don’t.
One example that comes to mind here to a lesser degree is Linus Ullmark. I say a lesser degree because Ulmark has shown over his career that he has been a solid goalie every year. He has never dipped below a .900 SV%. A sixth-round pick for the Buffalo Sabres, he spent multiple years there before signing a four-year contract with the Bruins in 2021. While every season he had been a good goalie, he absolutely exploded in 2022-23. That whole Bruins team was unstoppable and likely contributed to his success. But as much as the Bruins helped Ulmark, Ulmark helped them. En route to winning the Vezina Trophy last season, Ulmark put up an insane 40-6-1 record with a 1.89 GAA and .938 SV%. His best season of his career. The pair seems like a match made in heaven.
Could Martin come in and be an Ulmark for Carolina? It’s not likely but also not impossible. Martin has less experience than Ulmark did when he came to Boston. Likewise, Martin has not put up the consistent numbers that Ulmark did on a fairly lacklustre Sabres team. But in a “wait and see” approach, maybe the team and the goalie gel like peanut butter and jelly and this is the time he shines. I’d say don’t hold your breath on this one, but it is possible.
Likelihood of possibility: 2/10
Back to Packing Bags
Glass Half Empty
After taking the glass-half-full approach in the previous paragraph, let’s take a more glass-half-empty approach. This possibility looks at Martin putting up similar numbers and results that we saw in Columbus. You’d think this wouldn’t be the case behind a stronger team, but again it’s possible.
In this scenario, Martin falls back to his Columbus status and Carolina makes the move to waive him. And then either another team picks him up or they loan him to the AHL and he plays out his contract (expiring after this season) in a true depth role. Of course, this means either Carolina makes a move to get a better goalie or the Raanta/Kochetkov tandem starts working and management goes with it. The cap hit for Martin is minimal but if put in the AHL, since it is a one-way deal at $775,000, it would not count against the cap.
Likelihood of possibility: 6/10
Getting A Little Something
There is a middle ground in this scenario too. Let’s say Martin plays solid. A slight upgrade from what we saw in Columbus. But Carolina still sees Raanta/Kochetkov as the way to go or wants to bring in another goalie. Martin could then be a part of a trade in various ways. Maybe he goes to a team making a move to send a goalie to Carolina. The team sees Martin as worth taking a flyer on for the future or Martin simply becomes a necessary part of the trade due to logistics (goalie in means a goalie out). It also could be an unrelated move where Carolina feels confident in their goaltending without Martin and they simply move him for something minor like a seventh-round draft pick. Seems weird for someone who many passed on previously while on waivers. But if his play improves, it could turn a waiver pickup into a low-asset trade piece.
Likelihood of possibility: 5/10
A Solid 2/3 Goaltender
I’d argue that this last possibility is the most likely. We saw against Boston that Martin can play. He has a chip on his shoulder, he has a few years of experience, and now he has a good team ahead of him. He also has a very affordable cap hit. If Martin can keep up solid, consistent play between the pipes, he could be the perfect 2/3 goalie. Maybe not the 1B or almost 1B we saw from McElhinney, but someone who has no problem taking multiple nights off and stepping in seemingly cold to steal a game.
This scenario would be either that Carolina holds onto a trio of Raanta/Kochetkov/Martin, or they move Raanta in a deal to bring in another goalie. Ideally, that new goalie would either be the new number one or a very reliable backup. (We will take a look at possibilities coming soon). Or, least likely, we see Andersen return from injury. This would put Martin as a very good number-three option in the event of injury or needing to give another goalie a night off. Or if a goalie is struggling, Martin slides up the depth chart. It’s the ultimate “flex” position to provide a true safety net to the team.
Carolina has shown they have no problem carrying three goalies. Likewise, Martin’s cap hit is very affordable. If something happened and there were four goalies, the battle may come between Martin and Raanta. This will depend on who the coaching staff has more confidence in based on their play at that time. But if an issue, Martin’s cap hit is slightly better. This seems like the most likely possibility for Martin. He has shown that he can be a true backup and the circumstances point to this possibility as being very likely. Having depth in the playoffs is invaluable. And all that is needed is solid performance from Martin, not anything earth-shattering. And maybe that’s what we all truly want from the journeyman netminder.
Likelihood of possibility: 8/10
Main Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
