RALEIGH — The Hurricanes addressed their ongoing goaltender issues Friday, claiming Spencer Martin off waivers from the Blue Jackets.
Martin, a third-round pick by the Avalanche in 2013, has played 51 career NHL games with three teams — Colorado, Vancouver and Columbus — with a 17-25-6 record, .886 save percentage and 3.63 goals-against average.
While rookie Yaniv Perets will back up Antti Raanta on Friday against the Red Wings at PNC Arena, Martin should then take over that role until Pyotr Kochetkov is ready to return from a concussion.
The Hurricanes have benefited from a spaced-out schedule since Kochetkov was hurt Jan. 11 against the Ducks. Carolina has played just twice, on Saturday and Monday, since Kochetkov was knocked out of the Anaheim game. That has allowed coach Rod Brind’Amour to lean on Raanta, who will appear in a fourth straight game Friday.
The 6-foot-3, 191-pound Martin, who played for Mississauga of the OHL in junior and is a native of Oakville, Ontario, may not even see a game with the Hurricanes given the schedule. Carolina hosts Minnesota on Sunday and then has back-to-back games on Wednesday (at Boston) and Thursday (home against New Jersey).
If Kochetkov is ready to play in time for the back-to-back, Martin’s stay in Raleigh could be brief. The Russian rookie has been back on the ice skating before practices this week, a sign that he is getting closer to returning.
“We’ll just see how it goes,” Brind’Amour said. “With the guys we have down and the uncertainty of the whole position, I think we’re just trying to give us another option and a little more security there.”
Martin was 3-8-1 with an .887 save percentage and 3.65 goals-against average in 13 appearances with Columbus this season. His best NHL stretch was a brief stint with Canucks in 2021-22, when he went 3-0-3 with a .950 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against average during two three-game call-ups — one in January and one at the end of April — in Vancouver.
Martin’s salary cap cost ($762,500) is actually less than Perets’ ($805,000) making his addition is a low-risk move when it comes to cap management. When Kochetkov returns, Carolina could put Martin back on waivers where he would either be claimed by another team or could be assigned to the minor leagues. The Hurricanes would not incur any cap cost by putting him in the minors.
