Canucks re-sign Spencer Martin to a two-year contract

On Friday morning, it was announced that the Vancouver Canucks have signed Spencer Martin to a two-year one-way contract. So this means he will be the backup to Thatcher Demko next season

Martin’s new contract was first reported on Thursday by Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie and Dhali: The Team.

Here are the financial terms of Martin’s deal.

“We’re pleased with the success Spencer has had this season, not only in the American Hockey League but also during his stint with Vancouver earlier this year,” said Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin in the press release. “He has been very reliable for Abbotsford, contributing greatly to their Calder Cup Playoff berth earlier this month, and has shown an ability to perform in high-pressure situations.”

Martin has played a big part in helping the Abbotsford Canucks make the playoffs in their inaugural season. So far, he has a 17-4-2 record with Abbotsford and a 2.39 GAA and .918 save percentage. Martin’s 17 wins are tied for 9th among AHL goaltenders and he has three shutouts this season which is tied for third among AHL goaltenders.

The 26-year-old also played three seasons with Vancouver back in January. In those three games, he played well and went 1-0-2 and managed a 1.59 goals-against average and .958 save percentage. Martin got his first career NHL win on January 27 against the Winnipeg Jets. In that game, he made 33 saves in a 4-1 Canucks win in Manitoba’s capital.

Martin was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche 63rd overall in 2013. He only played three games with the Avalanche and that was during the 2016-17 season. Martin went 0-2-1 posting a 4.35 GAA and a 0.865 save percentage. That was the season where the Avalanche finished dead last in the NHL with a 22-56-4 record for only 48 points.

Martin continued to play the next two seasons with the Avalanche’s AHL and ECHL teams before signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019. He played for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch and ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears before being traded to the Canucks last July for future considerations. As a result of Demko and Jaroslav Halak testing positive for COVID-19, Martin played his first NHL game in five years on January 21 where he was named the first star in a 2-1 Canucks shootout loss to the Florida Panthers.

It’s been a long road back to the NHL for Martin and it looks like he will be seeing a lot more NHL action next season and the one after.

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