What’s next for Rangers after signing goalie Spencer Martin to 2-year deal
In a surprise move Wednesday, the New York Rangers signed goalie Spencer Martin to a two-year contract worth a reported $1.55 million. The Rangers then assigned the 30-year-old to Hartford of the American Hockey League after he cleared waivers Thursday.
The signing comes one day after Martin’s contract with CSKA Moscow in the KHL was terminated by the team and he was officially released. CSKA Moscow recently acquired longtime NHL goalie Ilya Samsonov. As such, Martin didn’t play since Nov. 3.
Martin was 5-6-0 in 14 KHL games with a 2.69 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and two shutouts.
Last season, Martin stepped up for the Carolina Hurricanes, when their No. 1 goalie — Frederik Andersen — was injured in November. Martin’s numbers as Pyotr Kochetkov’s backup weren’t great (3-4-1 with a 3.89 GAA and .846 save percentage), but he did record his first NHL shutout on Nov. 16, a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Martin also won 20 games with AHL Chicago last season, when he was teammates with defenseman prospect Scott Morrow, whom the Rangers acquired in the offseason K’Andre Miller trade with the Hurricanes. They’ll be reunited in Hartford, where Morrow currently plays.
A third-round pick (No. 63 overall) by in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, Martin has 66 games of NHL experience with the Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Hurricanes. He’s 24-30-8 with a 3.56 GAA, .883 save percentage, and the one shutout in the NHL.
What’s next for Rangers after signing Spencer Martin
One of Martin’s highlights last season came on Thanksgiving Eve, when he made 19 saves and led the Hurricanes to a 4-3 home win over the Rangers. He won consecutive starts that week when both Andersen and Kochetkov were out injured.
But getting the guy that beat you one time is not the reason the Rangers signed Martin.
He now provides veteran insurance in the Rangers pipeline should Igor Shesterkin and/or Jonathan Quick miss any time this season. The Rangers didn’t have another goalie behind those two with NHL experience, after Louis Domingue didn’t re-sign this past summer following three seasons as the No. 3 in the organization.
Dylan Garand photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Like Domingue, Martin will share the net in Hartford with top goalie prospect Dylan Garand, an AHL All-Star in 2024-25, who’s 3-4-1 with a 2.80 GAA and .895 save percentage in eight starts this season.
Talyn Boyko remains winless (0-2-1) in four appearances and three starts for the Wolf Pack this season. Overall Hartford (3-6-2-0) allows 2.98 goals per game.
What’s interesting here is that Martin is signed through the 2026-27 season, and Garand is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after this one. The Rangers signed Garand to a one-year contract last summer.
Again this could be an insurance move to protect the Rangers should they decide Garand is not the heir apparent to one day replace Quick as the No. 2 in New York. Quick turns 40 this season, though the three-time Stanley Cup champion hasn’t discussed when he plans to retire.
None of Boyko, Hugo Ollas, nor Callum Tung has stood out yet in the pros, likely further fueling the Rangers interest in adding Martin to the goalie pipeline.
