Goalie Martin: minor experience, major hope
If you assume Semyon Varlamov will remain healthy — and that’s been a bad assumption for the last three years — the Avalanche appears to have enough organizational goaltending depth to not worry about the position.
There are Varlamov and newly signed free agent Phillip Grubauer — the 2018 Stanley Cup champion from the Washington Capitals — on the Avs’ roster, and then there are three other guys looking to occupy the two spots with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) and one with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL.
The minorleague contenders with bigleague dreams: Spencer Martin, the Avs’ 2013 draft pick; Joe Cannata, who helped the Eagles win their second straight ECHL championship last spring before the franchise moved to the AHL; and Pavel Francouz, the Czech Republicborn freeagent acquisition from the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.
Varlamov was backed up by Martin in Tuesday’s preseason opener against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights. Varlamov stopped 21of24 shots and Martin played in the third period, making just four saves on six shots.
Because he saw the ice Tuesday, let’s focus on Martin — the fifth goalie selected in the 2013 draft (third round, 63rd overall).
“I felt really good. It’s exciting to play, and really fun,” Martin said after the 51 loss at the Pepsi Center. “Being a part of everyone’s first game is cool, and picking up where we finished last year. But that’s not a result myself or any other guy in this room can accept.”
Martin had a relatively weak 3.10 goalsagainst average and .893 save percentage last season with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, the team Colorado shared with the St. Louis Blues’ top prospects. Martin also was below a .900 save percentage during his three games with the Avs in 201617.
Martin, 23, signed a modest, oneyear, twoway contract worth a potential $650,000 over the summer as a restricted free agent. He will make just $85,000 in the minors, and the first question is, will he be the top guy for the Eagles in Loveland or the Grizzlies in Salt Lake City? The second question: Did the Avs trade for Grubauer because they’ve given up on Martin?
“I think the consistency in his game has to come up,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of Martin. “Goalies take longer to develop. Is it a makeorbreak year? No. We like our goaltending depth and he’s certainly part of that. With the two guys up top (Varlamov, Grubauer) and then Frankie (Francouz) and him — he’ll have to earn his time in the net (with the Eagles). Looking for him to be consistently better and mentally tougher and keep taking a step forward in his development.”
Martin doesn’t feel like he’s on thin ice with the Avs, and based on his peers from the 2013 draft class, he shouldn’t. Among the first five goalies in that draft, Martin is one of three to have made his NHL debut, and only one — Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry — has played more than five games in the league.
So, no, Martin doesn’t feel like the Avs have run out of patience with him.
“The pressure? It’s no different. I think I would have told you last year or the year before that I put pressure on myself to succeed,” Martin said. “But I’m prepared. I do look at this as the year I want to break through.”