A former goaltender of the Vancouver Canucks, who was most recently with the Carolina Hurricanes, has packed his bags and is heading overseas.
Former Vancouver Canucks goalie Spencer Martin inked a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow, the Kontinental Hockey League reported.
The 30-year-old is traveling abroad for the first time after a decade of playing in between the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.
Instead of remaining a third-stringer in North America, Martin will reportedly become a starting goaltender with one of the KHL's best teams, with Islanders prospect Dmitri Gamzin working as his backup.
Martin shared the 2024-25 season between the Carolina Hurricanes and their AHL affiliate in Chicago.
Martin was terrible in the NHL but excellent in the AHL last season
Although he was terrible in limited work in the NHL, notching a .846 save percentage and 3.89 GAA in nine games, he played well in the AHL, logging a 2.34 GAA, .909 SV%, and a 20-8-2 record in 31 games.
A third-round draft pick initially by the Colorado Avalanche in 2013, Martin has played for the Avalanche, Lightning, Canucks, Blue Jackets, and Hurricanes organizations.
He played 66 games in his NHL career, compiling a 24-30-8 record, 3.56 GAA, and .883 SV%.
Martin played 38 games for Vancouver between 2021 and 2023, covering a 17-game period during the 2022-23 season, where he started for the team for a brief period.
Carolina, anticipating his departure, filled the organizational void by making a trade and signing Cayden Primeau, who will be the backup behind Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov next year.
