Canucks trade for goaltender Spencer Martin from Tampa Bay Lightning

The Vancouver Canucks have added another netminder to their roster.

On Saturday afternoon, it was announced that the team had landed 26-year-old goalie Spencer Martin from the Tampa Bay Lighting, in exchange for future considerations.

The Oakville, Ontario native was originally selected in the third round, 63rd overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was the fifth goaltender to be drafted that year, behind names such as Tristan Jarry of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Eric Comrie of the Winnipeg Jets.

Colorado also picked first overall that year, choosing franchise centre Nathan MacKinnon.

Martin started the 2013-14 season with the Mississauga Steelheads in the OHL, posting a record of 24-33-5 to go along with a 3.54 GAA, .899 SV% and a league-leading 64 starts.  Despite the poor outing, his team still qualified for the playoffs, but were eventually swept by the Oshawa Generals, who finished the season atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Martin signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche in October 2014.

The 6’3″, 191 pound netminder remained in the OHL for the 2014-15 season. He improved upon his numbers from last year, posting a 2.98 GAA and .921 SV% in 31 games with the Steelheads.

Martin changed leagues the following season, splitting time between the Fort Wayne Comets of the ECHL and the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL, the Avalanche affiliate at the time. Martin played 50 games with San Antonio the next year before making his NHL debut on January 21st, 2017. Martin was also named to the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic.

He remained with the Avalanche for the 2018-19 season, signing a one-year extension to play for the Avalanche’s newest affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, but wasn’t extended a qualifying offer in the offseason. A few days later, he was picked up by the Lightning, inking a one-year, two-way contract to play for their primary development affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

Martin went 12-11-8 with a 3.00 GAA and .897 SV% before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Martin, who signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with Tampa Bay in May 2021, will provide more goaltending depth for the Abbotsford Canucks. He will be join fellow netminders Michael DiPietro and Arturs Silovs for the 2021-22 AHL season.

DiPietro, who would likely be the first call-up to Vancouver if either Thatcher Demko or Jaroslav Halak are unavailable, will be entering the final season of his three-year, $2.825 million RFA deal. Silovs is set to enter the first year of his deal after experiencing an entry-level slide for the past two campaigns.

Martin holds a record of 0-2-1 in his first three NHL contests, all with Colorado, but won’t likely get an opportunity this season to secure his first-career win.

What are your thoughts on the Canucks’ latest trade? Let us know in the comments!