Spencer Martin | #30 | G

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[73 Percent]

7 hours ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

Our cheap backup next year. Demko can carry the load Martin is more than capable of playing the 25 games that demko doesn't.

[Alflives]

1 hour ago, 73 Percent said:

Our cheap backup next year. Demko can carry the load Martin is more than capable of playing the 25 games that demko doesn't.

I think Martin is a coming UFA, right?  We need to get him signed.  

[Boudrias]

1 hour ago, 73 Percent said:

Our cheap backup next year. Demko can carry the load Martin is more than capable of playing the 25 games that demko doesn't.

Some fans are suggesting that Martin won't resign with Van because Demko will prevent his becoming a starting tender. That idea way over the top IMHO. I would think Martin takes the backup spot in a flash. He will get 25-30 games if Demko isn't hurt, more if he is. The Calder playoffs could tell the tale. Obviously if they have a deep run the bidding for him could escalate. 

[JM_]

58 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

Some fans are suggesting that Martin won't resign with Van because Demko will prevent his becoming a starting tender. That idea way over the top IMHO. I would think Martin takes the backup spot in a flash. He will get 25-30 games if Demko isn't hurt, more if he is. The Calder playoffs could tell the tale. Obviously if they have a deep run the bidding for him could escalate. 

Martin will re-sign for one big reason: Ian Clark. He's the one helping Martin to reinvent his game. 

[fanfor42]

21 minutes ago, JM_ said:

Martin will re-sign for one big reason: Ian Clark. He's the one helping Martin to reinvent his game. 

Curtis Sanford is the Abby goaltenders coach, Clark is the Vancouver goaltenders coach.

 

Are you sure Martin gets time with Ian Clark or you just guessing that he does? 

 

 

[JM_]

7 minutes ago, fanfor42 said:

Curtis Sanford is the Abby goaltenders coach, Clark is the Vancouver goaltenders coach.

 

Are you sure Martin gets time with Ian Clark or you just guessing that he does? 

 

 

not guessing, Clark has been working with him and Sanford. 

 

“He has been the goalie who has gone through Ian’s process. It’s not an easy process,” Woodley observed of Sanford.

Martin told Woodley’s In Goal podcast that getting a lot of practice time early in the season proved to be beneficial as he worked to integrate the new ideas that Sanford and Clark were throwing at him.

“I’ve been lucky enough that the people I’ve worked with have given me stuff, given me knowledge but not told me, ‘You got to be looking like this tomorrow in the game.’ Clarkie and Sandman, they’re like, ‘Let’s be open-minded and let’s trust the process in practice and then once we’re in the game, just play your game, and then we’ll go from there,’ ” he told last weekend’s episode of the podcast.

 

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-martin-a-reminder-of-teams-organizational-strength

Edited April 3, 2022 by JM_

[fanfor42]

It's a good article.  I think Martin benefitted from training camp time in Vancouver with Clark.  During the regular season though Clark is director of organizational goaltending but Sanford does the day to day work with Martin.  Clark and Martin won't have a lot of time together during the regular season due to travel schedules etc.

 

However, your point is well taken.  It may well be that Martin views the opportunity to have Clark as his everyday coach in Vancouver of a significant benefit and might be the main reason he signs a 1 or 2 year deal to back up Demko.  Let's hope so!

 

[Alflives]

49 minutes ago, JM_ said:

Martin will re-sign for one big reason: Ian Clark. He's the one helping Martin to reinvent his game. 

How come we haven’t signed him yet though?  Why the wait?  

[Devron]

55 minutes ago, Alflives said:

How come we haven’t signed him yet though?  Why the wait?  

Yup should have been signed already. Makes me wonder a bit. We really have no idea what this management is doing yet 

[JM_]

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

How come we haven’t signed him yet though?  Why the wait?  

I would think they want to just let Martin run with the playoffs and then sign him quickly after that, no need to get a contract into his head space this second. 

[Alflives]

13 minutes ago, JM_ said:

I would think they want to just let Martin run with the playoffs and then sign him quickly after that, no need to get a contract into his head space this second. 

Both JR and PA have stated several times we have a franchise goalie, right?  Maybe they are planning to trade Demko for a huge haul, and sign Martin as the starter?  

[higgyfan]

50 minutes ago, JM_ said:

I would think they want to just let Martin run with the playoffs and then sign him quickly after that, no need to get a contract into his head space this second. 

Also, Dipi had a really slow start this season and had managed to get his back on par (.904). so

they will have to make a decision about him as well.  Given the age difference, they will likely

go with Spence though.

[JM_]

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

Both JR and PA have stated several times we have a franchise goalie, right?  Maybe they are planning to trade Demko for a huge haul, and sign Martin as the starter?  

[Guest]

Spencer Martin has never had a one way NHL deal in his life. 

 

He will be over the moon happy to get a one way deal with us. I'm almost certain that he will be back with us next year and have a legitimate chance to earn the backup role. 

[-Vintage Canuck-]

‘He took the ball and ran with it’: Curtis Sanford about the steps taken by Spencer Martin this season down in Abbotsford:

 

When Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak were sidelined by the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol in January, everybody panicked.

 

Bruce Boudreau had the ball rolling, and the Canucks were just starting to turn their season around after an abysmal start.

 

The team had all the momentum in the world and then lost both of their goaltenders, including Demko, who they had relied on heavily up to that point.

This, right before a matchup with the then-league-leading Florida Panthers coming to town.

 

After a season spent on the taxi squad in 2020-21, Michael DiPietro didn’t look NHL ready as some thought he might be. Arturs Silovs was too young, and Spencer Martin, at the time, was a 26-year-old career AHL netminder with just three NHL games under his belt — all of which were losses that came in the 2016-17 season.

 

But then Martin stepped in and stole the show against the Panthers, in one of the most feel-good stories from around the league this year.

 

In his first start in five years, making his Vancouver Canucks debut, Martin stopped 33 of 34 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Panthers.

 

Martin was subsequently named the game’s first star and was the story of the night.

 

“I just felt incredibly blessed to know how hard it is to get to this level. It’s hard to put into one answer but it felt incredible to get an opportunity,” said Martin, who would go on to post two more solid starts, pick up the first win of his career, and post a .958 save percentage over three NHL games with the Canucks.

 

There are only 32 NHL backup jobs in the NHL, and teams are putting a greater focus on stabilizing the backup position than ever before in an attempt to better manage their starter’s workload. This often leaves less-proven goaltenders like Martin in the minors on two-way contracts for years without much opportunity to hold down a steady NHL job.

 

Look no further than the Canucks’ pursual of Braden Holtby — although he was always envisioned as more of a 1B when he was signed — and Jaroslav Halak for evidence of this phenomenon.

 

You also need not look further than the two aforementioned names as evidence of why the Canucks are better off rolling the proverbial dice on Martin next season rather than pursuing a more proven NHL backup on the open market.

 

Sure, you never know how a goalie will perform when they make that jump, but given how Martin has emerged as one of the AHL’s best goaltenders this season and has a solid three-game NHL sample size — that seems like a safe bet.

 

Still unproven at the NHL level, Martin will almost certainly come at or near league-minimum on his next contract. This would save the Canucks money on the cap, avoid situations like they had with Holtby and Halak the past two seasons, and blasts the door wide open for Michael DiPietro and Arturs Silovs to take the reins down in Abbotsford.

 

Plus, Martin’s success this year hasn’t just come from luck.

 

Rather, he’s changed his game under the guidance of Abbotsford Canucks goalie coach Curtis Sanford and found results by doing so.

 

“It’s pretty incredible,” said Martin of his time with the Canucks this season. “I didn’t know what to expect. When you switch organizations, everybody is different, as far as staff, different teammates, and different coaches, but so far it’s been as good as I could have imagined.

 

“It’s really been a big time of evolution for my game to work with these goalie coaches. It’s more than just a few little things, too. I had fewer games to play at the beginning of the year so I was able to basically practice and buy into their system, both Curtis Sanford and Ian Clark. I’m just trying to come in every day and let them know that I’m ready to work hard so that they can give me whatever’s next for my game.”

 

Sanford saw a lot of Martin when the Utica Comets would match up against the Syracruse Crunch — the Tampa Bay Lightning’s farm team — and it was in those showings that Sanford saw the potential in Martin’s game.

 

“It seemed like when we were in Utica, we were playing them almost every other weekend, so I got to see an awful lot of him,” Sanford told CanucksArmy. “I really liked how he played then. I saw that there was a lot of potential in him, and I kind of mentioned that to RJ [Abbotsford GM Ryan Johnson] every so often. It seemed like whenever we played him in Utica, he had a strong performance against us.

 

“There’s obviously a lot of potential there and I think he’s always been a really good athlete. He’s always had good technique, but I just kind of wanted to get the opportunity to kind of dig in and not really do too much about the way he played technically, but more like concepts that he could fit into his game that were going to help his technique and allow him to be a foundationally stronger goalie along the way.”

 

Sanford’s scouting report appears to have been bang on, as Martin has been eager to implement the changes into his game and has risen from the #3 goaltender in Abbotsford to not only the starter, but also a legitimate option to serve as NHL backup next season.

 

“It was just a matter of introducing him to a couple of concepts early on,” added Sanford. “He really worked at it. Every time we were on the ice, we really kind of pounded away on a couple of these things and he took the ball and ran with it and he fit them into his game. He deserves all the credit for the changes that he’s made.”

 

At this point in his career and after the season he just had, Martin is certainly going to be seeking a highly-coveted one-way contract — a contract that guarantees the same salary regardless of whether or not a player is in the AHL or NHL.

 

Rather than signing someone from outside their system to come serve as a backup, the Canucks should take advantage of what has clearly been a win for them this season by giving Spencer Martin a job in the NHL next season.

 

https://canucksarmy.com/2022/04/06/took-ball-ran-why-spencer-martin-canucks-best-option-demko-backup/

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

2 hours ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

‘He took the ball and ran with it’: Curtis Sanford about the steps taken by Spencer Martin this season down in Abbotsford:

 

When Thatcher Demko and Jaroslav Halak were sidelined by the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol in January, everybody panicked.

 

Bruce Boudreau had the ball rolling, and the Canucks were just starting to turn their season around after an abysmal start.

 

The team had all the momentum in the world and then lost both of their goaltenders, including Demko, who they had relied on heavily up to that point.

This, right before a matchup with the then-league-leading Florida Panthers coming to town.

 

After a season spent on the taxi squad in 2020-21, Michael DiPietro didn’t look NHL ready as some thought he might be. Arturs Silovs was too young, and Spencer Martin, at the time, was a 26-year-old career AHL netminder with just three NHL games under his belt — all of which were losses that came in the 2016-17 season.

 

But then Martin stepped in and stole the show against the Panthers, in one of the most feel-good stories from around the league this year.

 

In his first start in five years, making his Vancouver Canucks debut, Martin stopped 33 of 34 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Panthers.

 

Martin was subsequently named the game’s first star and was the story of the night.

 

“I just felt incredibly blessed to know how hard it is to get to this level. It’s hard to put into one answer but it felt incredible to get an opportunity,” said Martin, who would go on to post two more solid starts, pick up the first win of his career, and post a .958 save percentage over three NHL games with the Canucks.

 

There are only 32 NHL backup jobs in the NHL, and teams are putting a greater focus on stabilizing the backup position than ever before in an attempt to better manage their starter’s workload. This often leaves less-proven goaltenders like Martin in the minors on two-way contracts for years without much opportunity to hold down a steady NHL job.

 

Look no further than the Canucks’ pursual of Braden Holtby — although he was always envisioned as more of a 1B when he was signed — and Jaroslav Halak for evidence of this phenomenon.

 

You also need not look further than the two aforementioned names as evidence of why the Canucks are better off rolling the proverbial dice on Martin next season rather than pursuing a more proven NHL backup on the open market.

 

Sure, you never know how a goalie will perform when they make that jump, but given how Martin has emerged as one of the AHL’s best goaltenders this season and has a solid three-game NHL sample size — that seems like a safe bet.

 

Still unproven at the NHL level, Martin will almost certainly come at or near league-minimum on his next contract. This would save the Canucks money on the cap, avoid situations like they had with Holtby and Halak the past two seasons, and blasts the door wide open for Michael DiPietro and Arturs Silovs to take the reins down in Abbotsford.

 

Plus, Martin’s success this year hasn’t just come from luck.

 

Rather, he’s changed his game under the guidance of Abbotsford Canucks goalie coach Curtis Sanford and found results by doing so.

 

“It’s pretty incredible,” said Martin of his time with the Canucks this season. “I didn’t know what to expect. When you switch organizations, everybody is different, as far as staff, different teammates, and different coaches, but so far it’s been as good as I could have imagined.

 

“It’s really been a big time of evolution for my game to work with these goalie coaches. It’s more than just a few little things, too. I had fewer games to play at the beginning of the year so I was able to basically practice and buy into their system, both Curtis Sanford and Ian Clark. I’m just trying to come in every day and let them know that I’m ready to work hard so that they can give me whatever’s next for my game.”

 

Sanford saw a lot of Martin when the Utica Comets would match up against the Syracruse Crunch — the Tampa Bay Lightning’s farm team — and it was in those showings that Sanford saw the potential in Martin’s game.

 

“It seemed like when we were in Utica, we were playing them almost every other weekend, so I got to see an awful lot of him,” Sanford told CanucksArmy. “I really liked how he played then. I saw that there was a lot of potential in him, and I kind of mentioned that to RJ [Abbotsford GM Ryan Johnson] every so often. It seemed like whenever we played him in Utica, he had a strong performance against us.

 

“There’s obviously a lot of potential there and I think he’s always been a really good athlete. He’s always had good technique, but I just kind of wanted to get the opportunity to kind of dig in and not really do too much about the way he played technically, but more like concepts that he could fit into his game that were going to help his technique and allow him to be a foundationally stronger goalie along the way.”

 

Sanford’s scouting report appears to have been bang on, as Martin has been eager to implement the changes into his game and has risen from the #3 goaltender in Abbotsford to not only the starter, but also a legitimate option to serve as NHL backup next season.

 

“It was just a matter of introducing him to a couple of concepts early on,” added Sanford. “He really worked at it. Every time we were on the ice, we really kind of pounded away on a couple of these things and he took the ball and ran with it and he fit them into his game. He deserves all the credit for the changes that he’s made.”

 

At this point in his career and after the season he just had, Martin is certainly going to be seeking a highly-coveted one-way contract — a contract that guarantees the same salary regardless of whether or not a player is in the AHL or NHL.

 

Rather than signing someone from outside their system to come serve as a backup, the Canucks should take advantage of what has clearly been a win for them this season by giving Spencer Martin a job in the NHL next season.

 

https://canucksarmy.com/2022/04/06/took-ball-ran-why-spencer-martin-canucks-best-option-demko-backup/

Makes so much sense for both sides to get an extension done.

 

Canucks need to save money wherever they can, and with Demko already on a value deal, getting a backup at something <$1M would be really helpful. Goaltending is the strength of this team. To have the position covered, at <$6M, would really help Vancouver’s cap. Even with the Holtby buyout and Halak deferred bonuses, they’d still be paying less (all in on their goalies) than many teams do for just an elite starting goalie.

 

As for Martin, this really isn’t the time to rock the boat. He’s enjoyed new levels of success this season and set himself up for his first real chance at grabbing a regular gig in the NHL next year. The work of Sanford and Clark is a huge part of this, and Martin would be wise to stick with the program here. The next season may prove to be the defining point of his career, either establishing Martin as a legitimate NHL goalie, or seeing him revert back to an AHL journeyman. Vancouver’s goaltending department likely gives him the best chance to reach his highest potential. It would be foolish IMO for Martin to roll the dice on a new team and situation, just at the moment when things appear to be coming together for him.

Edited April 6, 2022 by SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME

[Phat Fingers]

There is massive difference between Vancouver and other teams in the NHL.  They have Ian Clark.  
 

Halak is not going back, and Vancouver is only a prefect place for Spencer to sing a short term two year deal with a 1.5 per year contract. 
 

or the club is fine to have Spencer leave and another goalie option.  
 

I don’t think so.  
 

plus in two years of constant tutelage from Clark and Demko, we could move either and rinse wash and repeat thru scouting, drafting and development.  

it’s why it’s called a factory,  

 

there is no more coached position in hockey.  
 

So who does this highly technical coaching had to also balance the psychology of many goalies, a very unrefined science where helmet technology has never been definitively tested, so who knows the long term effects of the shots to the head that Pro Goalies take at 100 plus miles an hour, that others risk severe injury if they get in the way of.  
 

so shaky psychologically and the technical coaching is a constant need, as the player adjusts to shooters adjusting to the player, and so goes the Cold War of hockey, between the shooters and the goalies.  
 

Demko had the ability and this team has the scoring depth, but we need to see if Alvin and Rutherford can replicate the same magic they had in Pittsburg and Rutherford had in Raleigh.  
 

if he could ever convince Rod Brind’amour to come back to the west coast, that would be a coup, for when Bruce is ready to move on.  
 

the RHD side of the defence needs to be addressed thru pro scouting and either trade or FA signing.  
 

if Myers was number 3/4 and a PKer, and Schenn was there to back stop Rathbone and shelter Woo’s attempt to leap from the farm next year, if some one can be found to be the partner Hughes deserves.  
 

OEL and Myers is a good second pairing, a really good second pairing.  Gives the team depth and I see no future for Poolman at all.  
 

but some how Rutherford and Alvin need to fix  the Hughes pairing.  
 

coaching wise, I am super happy to see the whole group resigned for two or three years.  
 

they deserve a shot with the club from pre season onwards, and with the turnaround, I can’t see a one year deal as even worth considering.  Bruce would walk away and the club would look like assholes again.  
 

hope he can get the younger players into the line up, rest up any injured players who were playing hurt and get the whole club, from top to bottom, bottom to top on the same page and go for it.

 

the Florida Panthers AGM cap penalty will be over.  So we get the 3 million back and now are on an equal footing with the rest of the league.  

[Phat Fingers]

If my lack of accuracy on the dollar value of Martin, I was only basing it off of Halak base rate, 1.5m.  
 

so over one or two years, with Martin, a can’t loose proposal with him either here for cheap or to back stop Abbey as a development factory for other needed positions of depth.  
 

this is when Abbey, which, for mostly selfish reasons, me living closer to Utica than the rest of you, becomes a real factor.  
 

Round two or bust next year. 

[Ray_Cathode]

On 4/3/2022 at 8:39 AM, Alflives said:

How come we haven’t signed him yet though?  Why the wait?  

Cap.