The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost one of their goalies. Spencer Martin, 28, was claimed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. The netminder was waived on Jan. 18 in a flurry of roster moves that included the assignment of their top defensive prospect, David Jiricek, to the American Hockey League (AHL).
It’s fitting the Blue Jackets should lose Martin to waivers, because they had claimed in the same manner from the Vancouver Canucks at the beginning of the season. Martin had a remarkably unremarkable stint with Columbus, playing in 13 games and finishing with a 3-8-1 record. His .887 save percentage (SV%) and 3.65 goals against average (GAA) were good enough for second-best among Blue Jackets’ goalies who’ve played in more than five games this season. He was mostly brought in to fill the shoes of youngster backup Daniil Tarasov, who was on the injured reserve to start the campaign.
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The Martin acquisition helps the Hurricanes, who’ve been looking for options in goal this season. Their trio of netminders — Fredrik Andersen, Antti Raanta, and Pyotr Kotchetkov — have vastly underperformed. All are sitting at or below a .900 SV%, which is significantly below their respective career averages. They’ve also dealt with injuries, and so, Martin will provide a bit of depth as the team aspires for their first Stanley Cup in nearly two decades.
It’s been a busy last week for the Blue Jackets, particularly affecting their goaltending situation. The team’s highest-paid goalie, Elvis Merzlikins, clarified to the media that he has requested a trade. It was in part because of the murky situation the team found themselves in while they ran a platoon of three goalies for the span of a month. Whether or not the loss of Martin takes some of the pressure off of the Merzlikins trade situation is still to be determined, but it does give some breathing room to the Blue Jackets tandem as they continue to navigate a tough season.
