Rangers Sign Goaltender Spencer Martin to Two-Year Contract

The New York Rangers get some depth in between the pipes as Spence Martin joins the team on a two-year contract.

In a bit of a surprise move, the New York Rangers have added another goaltender to their depth charts, agreeing to terms with veteran netminder Spencer Martin on a two-year deal. A once upon a time 3rd round draft pick (63rd overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in 2013, Martin has blossomed into quite the journeyman in the crease and after starting the season in the KHL, will join the Rangers as long as he clears through waivers.

Between 2015-2017, Martin bounced around between the ECHL and AHL with the Fort Wayne Komets and the San Antonio Rampage. It was during the 2016-17 season where he made his NHL debut in three games with the Coloardo Avalanche. While he did go winless in that early stretch with some pretty tough numbers to show for, he would continue to get experience at the professional level in the AHL between the 2017-18 and 2021-22 seasons. It was then, he made his return to the NHL as he played in six games with the Vancouver Canucks with a .950 SV% to show for.

That would evidently be enough for him to remain somewhat of a mainstay in the NHL as he spent another season with the Canucks before moving on to a brief stint in Columbus that eventually took him to the Carolina Hurricanes. At times, Martin put up some solid numbers and offered some helpful relief mainly with the Canucks and Hurricanes. In total, he has played in 66 NHL games with a 3.56 GAA and a .883 SV%.

In his 13 games with CSKA Moskva in the KHL this year, he has a record of 5-6-2 with a 2.69 GAA and a .905% His most recent experience in North America comes with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL where he collected 20 wins with a 2.34 GAA and a .905 SV%. At his best, he's a serviceable depth goaltender that could be an NHL back-up if necessary but is a pretty ideal third stringer.

According to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, it doesn't appear that this signing has anything to do with injuries. It looks like he will just be taking over the role Louis Domingue once played with the organization as a veteran option in the AHL and a "break in case of emergency option" for the Rangers in the NHL.

Martin will need to clear waivers in order to join the Hartford Wolf Pack where he has been assigned. Assuming he does, he will join Dylan Garand and Talyn Boyko in Hartford's net.

Congrats and welcome to the Rangers organization, Spencer!