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Spencer Martin

New York Rangers To Activate Jonathan Quick

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According to a team announcement, the New York Rangers have assigned netminder Spencer Martin to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. The transaction all but guarantees that the Rangers will activate veteran Jonathan Quick from the injured reserve ahead of their matchup against the Colorado Avalanche tonight.

While Quick has been on the Rangers’ injured reserve since November 25th, Martin has only been with the team since the 30th. New York had originally opted for 23-year-old Dylan Garand, who has managed a 4-6-2 record for the Wolf Pack this season with a .902 SV% and 2.87 GAA, to serve as Igor Shesterkin’s backup.

Like Garand, Martin didn’t feature in any game throughout his recall. The veteran journeyman only recently joined the Rangers organization after beginning the season with the KHL’s CSKA Moskva. Martin registered a 5-6-0 record in 14 games overseas with a .905 SV% and 2.69 GAA. He immediately jumped at the chance for another opportunity in North America.

Regardless, it wouldn’t have been easy for Garand or Martin to replicate what Quick has provided New York the last three years, even if they earned an opportunity. Formerly a consistent Vezina Trophy nominee with the Los Angeles Kings, Quick has managed a 32-16-4 record with the Rangers with a .907 SV% and 2.74 GAA as Shesterkin’s backup.

It remains to be seen if the 2025-26 season will be Quick’s last in the NHL. The 19-year veteran is playing out a one-year, $1.55MM contract with the Rangers this season, and there’s no guarantee he’ll continue to play into his age-40 campaign. However, while it’s unlikely to come in New York, Quick could explore his options next summer in pursuit of one last Stanley Cup ring.

Rangers Recall Spencer Martin, Assign Dylan Garand To AHL

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This morning the New York Rangers announced an organizational goaltender swap; as Spencer Martin has been called up, while Dylan Garand is headed back to AHL Hartford. The move is a natural one, as Jonathan Quick has landed on IR, with a lower-body injury sustained earlier this week. 

Martin, 30, signed to a two-year deal earlier this month after starting the season in the KHL with CSKA Moscow. The Ontario native carved out a respectable career over the last nine professional seasons between the AHL and NHL, notching 66 games in the NHL, but it appeared he had run out of opportunities and was set to finish his career abroad. Instead, after 14 games with Moscow, his KHL contract was terminated. Now, even if temporarily, Martin finds himself back in the NHL with an Original Six franchise, proving to be quite a change of events in just one month. 

On the other hand, Garand, 23, is a prospect with potential to be a legit NHL backup. Even if not the absolute highest upside, he was a nice find in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, and the Rangers are making sure to develop Garand properly. Naturally he emerges as the likely next man up whenever Quick retires, but in the meantime, the British Columbia native has yet to debut in the NHL, and the organization prefers he continues to play at the AHL level, than sit behind Igor Shesterkin. The team opted to start their star Shesterkin in a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, rather than give Garand his debut yet. 

Therefore, with Garand needing proper seasoning, and Quick approaching age 40 despite his late career resurgence, Martin is a needed buffer between the two. The hope is that Quick will return soon, with his tremendous performance so far this season, to the tune of a .944 SV% and 1.69 GAA, but at his age such injuries are unfortunately not so surprising. Martin, an AHL All Star last season, is a real asset capable of serving as a viable NHL backup, or AHL star, needing no additional development at this point in his career. 

Rangers Sign Spencer Martin To Two-Year Deal

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Nov. 13: The Rangers announced that Martin has cleared waivers and has been reassigned to Hartford.

Nov. 12: The Rangers have signed goaltender Spencer Martin and immediately placed him on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Hartford, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It’s a two-year contract, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

Martin, 30, is a longtime AHL depth piece who’d seen NHL action as a backup/No. 3 option in four straight seasons leading into 2025-26. While the 6’3″ netminder has a strong minor-league track record, his NHL results have been highly underwhelming. He made his NHL debut with the Avalanche back in 2016-17 and didn’t get another look until getting called up to the Canucks in 2022, posting a .950 SV% in six appearances and positioning himself as Thatcher Demko’s backup to start 2022-23. He couldn’t sustain his hot streak from the previous year, though, posting a nearly unplayable .871 SV% and .296 quality start percentage in 29 appearances until landing on waivers midway through the season.

The following two seasons saw Martin serve as a stopgap for the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes while they dealt with injuries in the crease. Neither of those stints was much different than his time in Vancouver. He made 16 starts and 19 appearances for Columbus and Carolina in 2023-24, logging a 7-9-2 record with a .889 SV% and 3.30 GAA. Martin played just nine games for the Canes last year with an even further degraded SV% of .846 and a GAA of 3.89, although he did record his first career shutout in the process.

That decline led Martin to pursue an overseas opportunity for the first time. He signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League back in July. He was clearly positioned as their starter but was quickly usurped by Islanders prospect Dmitri Gamzin, who has a .933 SV% and 7-5-2 record through 13 games compared to Martin’s .905 SV% and 5-6-2 record in 14 games. With CSKA handing the reins to Gamzin and also having Blue Jackets 2025 first-rounder Pyotr Andreyanov as a recall option from the Russian minors, they terminated Martin’s contract on Monday.

Martin shouldn’t have much of any trouble clearing waivers on his way back to the NHL. The Rangers were looking for a veteran name to supplement their current AHL tandem of prospects Talyn Boyko and Dylan Garand, neither of whom has been particularly convincing to start the year. Martin’s .909 SV% in 30 appearances with AHL Chicago last season is better than what both of them have put on offer so far.

Spencer Martin Signs With CSKA Moscow

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Now-former NHL goaltender Spencer Martin has signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow, according to a release from the Kontinental Hockey League.

Martin, 30, heads overseas for the first time in his career after spending the last 10 seasons bouncing between the NHL, AHL, and ECHL. Instead of settling for the unenviable life of a third-string netminder in North America, he’ll be the undisputed starter for one of Russia’s premier clubs with Islanders 2024 fourth-rounder Dmitri Gamzin as his backup.

Martin split last season between the Hurricanes and AHL Chicago, his third NHL organization in the last three years. In 31 AHL games in 2024-25, Martin posted a 2.34 GAA, .909 SV%, three shutouts, and a 20-8-2 record. He struggled when called upon for NHL minutes, though, languishing with a .846 SV% and 3.89 GAA in seven starts and two relief appearances.

A third-round pick by the Avalanche in 2013, Martin has also made stops in the Lightning, Canucks, and Blue Jackets organizations in addition to his time in Colorado and Carolina. He has a 24-30-8 record in 66 career NHL appearances, logging a 3.56 GAA and .883 SV%.

Carolina anticipated Martin’s departure and replaced his spot on the depth chart by acquiring and signing netminder Cayden Primeau from the Canadiens. He’ll serve as the No. 3 behind Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov in 2025-26.

Hurricanes’ Frederik Andersen Out For Game 5

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10:33 a.m.: Andersen is confirmed as out tonight but hasn’t been ruled out for the series if New Jersey manages to extend it, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said (via Ruff).

9:49 a.m.: The Hurricanes are unlikely to have starting goaltender Frederik Andersen available for Game 5 of their first-round series against the Devils tonight, per the team’s Walt Ruff. He isn’t practicing today after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Game 4, and Pyotr Kochetkov is in the starter’s crease in his place. The team announced they recalled netminder Spencer Martin from AHL Chicago to serve as Kochetkov’s backup tonight.

Andersen was injured when he collided with Devils forward Timo Meier midway through the second period of Sunday’s Game 4 win to take a 3-1 series lead. Andersen had been spectacular through the first three and a half games of the series, posting a .936 SV% and league-leading 1.59 GAA, including a 34-save performance in Game 3’s double-overtime loss.

Kochetkov, who started the majority of Carolina’s regular-season games with Andersen missing time due to knee surgery, allowed one goal on 15 shots in relief for a .933 SV%. He posted a .897 SV% and 2.60 GAA with a career-high 27 wins in 47 regular-season starts. The 25-year-old has made seven playoff appearances over the last four years, but mostly in relief. Tonight will be his third career playoff start. He’s struggled when called upon in the playoffs thus far in his career, logging a .870 SV% and 3.73 GAA.

Of course, Andersen got them far enough to need just one more win to knock out the Devils and secure a playoff series win for the fifth straight year. Until their current streak, the Hurricanes/Whalers franchise had never recorded a series win in consecutive campaigns.

The team is still waiting to finish Andersen’s evaluation to determine when he’ll be ready to rejoin the lineup. If it’s another long-term injury, he may have played his last game in Carolina. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent after signing a two-year, $6.8MM deal to extend his stay in Raleigh-Durham in 2023.

As for Martin, Carolina’s veteran No. 3 option recorded a 3-4-1 record, .846 SV%, 3.89 GAA, and one shutout in seven starts and two relief appearances earlier this season while Andersen was on the shelf. The brother-in-law of Panthers winger Jonah Gadjovich was quite good in the minors this year, posting a .909 SV% and three shutouts in 31 regular-season contests for the Wolves with a 20-8-2 record.

Hurricanes Recall Dustin Tokarski, Reassign Spencer Martin

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The Hurricanes swapped backup goaltenders on Wednesday, announcing they recalled the newly signed Dustin Tokarski from AHL Chicago while reassigning Spencer Martin in a corresponding transaction.

Carolina signed Tokarski, 35, to a one-year, two-way contract on Monday. They immediately placed him on waivers to send him down to Chicago, where he’d spent the season to date on a minor-league deal, and he cleared yesterday.

They’ll turn to the highly experienced netminder to give them more passable play in a backup role than what Martin has provided them over the past few weeks. He’ll play sparingly as long as Pyotr Kochetkov is healthy – he’s the de facto No. 1 as Frederik Andersen is on the shelf recovering from knee surgery – and his .933 SV% and 1.61 GAA in five AHL showings this season suggests he’s still up to the task.

It’s no surprise to see Carolina look elsewhere for a temporary backup after Martin posted a sub-.900 SV% in all but one of his seven starts last month. He allowed 10 goals on just 57 shots faced in back-to-back losses to the Panthers last Friday and Saturday and has a horrid .846 SV% to go along with his 3-4-1 record in nine total appearances.

Tokarski now gets a shot at playing in his first NHL game since he was a member of the Penguins in the 2022-23 season. The Saskatchewan native has rarely been a full-time NHL option throughout his lengthy professional career, but he did briefly get a chance at being a full-time backup with the Sabres a few years ago. Since making his NHL debut with the Lightning way back in the 2009-10 season, he has a 23-34-12 record, two shutouts, 3.15 GAA, and a .902 SV% in 67 starts and 13 relief appearances.

Tokarski can remain on Carolina’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he requires waivers to return to the AHL. Martin bypassed waivers today because he’s played in nine games since last clearing waivers during the preseason, and a series of paper transactions have kept him on the active roster for fewer than 30 days since his initial recall in late October.

Minor Transactions: 11/25/24

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There have been quite a few paper transactions made across the NHL today as teams continue to try to save every little bit of cap room they can.  Here’s a rundown of today’s moves, per the AHL’s transactions log.

  • The Oilers have reassigned defenseman Josh Brown and forward Drake Caggiula to AHL Bakersfield. Brown has been shuffled back and forth in recent days while Caggiula was recalled back on Thursday.  Edmonton is off until Friday and the moves allow them to dip out of using LTIR and bank a small amount of cap space for the next few days.  At least one of them, if not both, will likely be recalled later in the week.
  • A day after being papered down, the Bruins have recalled forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle from AHL Providence. McLaughlin hasn’t played for Boston yet this season while Oesterle suited up three times earlier this month.
  • The Hurricanes have recalled winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin from their latest paper loan to AHL Chicago. Both players have been shuffled back and forth routinely in cap-saving moves.
  • A day after the Devils loaned wingers Shane Bowers and Nolan Foote along with defenseman Nick DeSimone to AHL Utica, the trio was recalled today. Sunday’s demotions allowed them to clear LTIR for the day but they are back to using it for the time being now.
  • After being papered down on Sunday, the Golden Knights have recalled wingers Mason Morelli and Callahan Burke, who scored his first NHL goal on Saturday in a win over Montreal. They also brought back blueliner Robert Hagg who was both recalled (on an emergency basis) and sent down on Saturday.  Hagg’s recall moves Vegas back into using LTIR for now.

Metropolitan Notes: Provorov, Nash, Hurricanes, Makiniemi

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Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov is one of the more intriguing pending UFA blueliners from the 2025 free agent class.  With Columbus still in their rebuild, it’s expected that he’ll be on the move at some point.  However, in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link), Pierre LeBrun reports that the team is telling interested parties that they’re not willing to move the 27-year-old just yet.  The Blue Jackets are off to a respectable 8-9-2 start and aren’t ready to start subtracting from what’s already a fairly young group this early in the season.  That’s expected to change as we get closer to the March 7 trade deadline and when that time comes, LeBrun suggests to expect a first-round pick to serve as the asking price for Provorov’s services.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with Columbus, when Don Waddell took over as President and GM for the Blue Jackets, one of the first moves he made was elevating Rick Nash to assistant GM. While that’s an important step for any aspiring manager, Nash told Daily Faceoff’s Anthony DiMarco that he’s “not in any rush” to ascend to a GM position just yet.  He has worked in Columbus’ front office since 2019 and it wouldn’t be shocking if he were next in line for the top job with the Blue Jackets when Waddell either moves on or wants to have just the President title down the road.
  • The Hurricanes have returned winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin to the minors, per the AHL’s transactions log, though these are almost certainly just paper moves to bank additional cap space. Blake has five goals in 19 games with Carolina in his first full professional season which is a solid start for the 21-year-old.  Martin, meanwhile, has played in four NHL contests so far in 2024-25, putting up a 3.25 GAA with a .868 SV%.  He has been much better in similarly limited action with AHL Chicago, however, compiling a 2.32 GAA and a .920 SV% in his first three outings.
  • Flyers goaltender Eetu Makiniemi is set to undergo sports hernia surgery next week, relays team reporter Bill Meltzer (Twitter link). The procedure will keep him out for three to four months.  The 25-year-old had a successful tryout in training camp, earning a one-year, two-way deal to play with AHL Lehigh Valley where he had a 3.03 GAA and a .899 SV% in five appearances.  With the injury, the only recallable goaltender Philadelphia has left is veteran Cal Petersen.

Minor Transactions: 11/19/24

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As teams continue to try to bank as much cap space as possible, there were quite a few paper moves made today.  We’ll run those down here.

  • The Flames announced that winger Adam Klapka was recalled from AHL Calgary. He was sent down on Saturday and got into two games, picking up two goals and an assist.  While Klapka is now on a five-game point streak at that level, he hasn’t recorded a point in his first five NHL contests so far this season.  He’s likely to serve as the reserve forward tonight versus the Islanders.
  • The Hurricanes are continuing their near-daily movement as they’ve recalled winger Jackson Blake and goaltender Spencer Martin from AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log. Blake has been sent down five times already but hasn’t played with the Wolves and with five goals and two assists in 17 games with Carolina, he probably won’t anytime soon.  Meanwhile, even though Carolina is using Pyotr Kochetkov and Martin as their tandem with Frederik Andersen injured, the Hurricanes haven’t moved Andersen to IR which allows them to continue to paper Martin down on off days while technically remaining compliant with roster minimums.
  • The Lightning have recalled winger Gage Goncalves, per a team release. He was sent back to the AHL on Sunday in a cost-clearing move and didn’t suit up while on assignment.  The 23-year-old has six assists in five games with Syracuse from earlier in the year and has been held off the scoresheet in his first four appearances with Tampa Bay.
  • A day after being papered back to the minors, Sam Colangelo is back up with the Ducks, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 22-year-old was initially recalled on Sunday but didn’t play in Monday’s game.  Colangelo is off to an impressive start to his first full professional campaign, tallying six goals and nine assists in 14 games with San Diego.
  • While not a direct paper transaction, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the Maple Leafs have transferred winger Max Pacioretty to LTIR, freeing up the cap space for today’s recall of Fraser Minten. Pacioretty suffered a lower-body injury on November 9th and must now miss at least 10 games and 24 days from that point.

Hurricanes Notes: Andersen, Kochetkov, Jarvis

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It appears Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen will miss a significant chunk of the season for the second year in a row. After being previously listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, he’s been downgraded to a “way longer” return timeline, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer on Friday.

Andersen, 35, has not played since Oct. 26 against the Kraken. He didn’t leave any of his four starts this year, so it’s still unclear when exactly he sustained the injury. Evidently, it’s one that now appears serious enough to keep him out for months, not weeks.

The veteran had been exceptional in the early going with a .941 SV% and 1.48 GAA. The Danish netminder is in the back half of the two-year, $6.8MM deal he signed in 2023 to return to Carolina after spending a couple of hours as an unrestricted free agent.

Last season, Andersen played just 16 games while being held out for most of the season due to a blood clotting issue. The two-time Jennings Trophy winner has a pristine 72-28-4 record, .919 SV% and 2.19 GAA since coming to Carolina in 2021 but averaged just 34 appearances per season over his first three years. He’s now extremely unlikely to improve on that average.

That means the net will be Pyotr Kochetkov’s for the foreseeable future. The 25-year-old has been good enough for Carolina to win games, as evidenced by his 8-2-0 record through 10 starts. However, his .897 SV% and -0.9 GSAA are certainly causes for concern. Each would be career-lows for the Russian, who’s playing in his fourth NHL campaign and is in the second season of a four-year, $8MM contract.

There’s more from Carolina:

  • Unfortunately, even Kochetkov may not be available for Saturday’s game against the Senators. He’s dealing with an undisclosed injury that leaves him doubtful for tomorrow’s game, Brind’Amour told Alexander, which would force an additional recall from AHL Chicago. The Hurricanes already summoned veteran Spencer Martin from the minors last month in the wake of Andersen’s injury. He’s struggled in one start and one relief appearance this year, surrendering six goals on 31 shots for a .806 SV% and 5.19 GAA. Kochetkov’s absence won’t be anything longer than day-to-day, though, Brind’Amour said.
  • Up front, Carolina is also dealing with an upper-body injury to winger Seth Jarvis that’s kept the top-six forward out of action for their last two games. Brind’Amour told the team’s Walt Ruff that the organization hopes he can return to practice next week, meaning he’s likely set to miss another three or four games at minimum. Jarvis, still just 22 years old, had 11 points through the season’s first 13 games after signing an eight-year, $59.36MM contract over the summer. Eric Robinson has filled in well in a fringe top-six role in the meantime with nine points in 15 games and will presumably continue to skate higher in the lineup until Jarvis returns.

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