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New York Islanders on The Hockey News
What's Likely Going On Between Islanders, Cal Clutterbuck & Matt Martin
By Stefen Rosner,
10 days ago
Social media has been buzzing with questions about Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin's future on Long Island.
The two veteran fourth-line forwards are currently unrestricted free agents, yet to sign elsewhere a few weeks into free agency.
The Islanders currently have $900,000 in available cap space and restricted free agent Simon Holmstrom is likely to take $874,125 of that when he signs his qualifying offer.
But that doesn't mean Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello doesn't have a few tricks up his sleeve to create cap space.
There is no sourced information about the likelihood of either one being back, and if either does plan on retiring, that's for them to share first, not the media.
But, the longer the summer goes on, and no other teams have reportedly shown interest, the more likely -- likely, not guaranteed -- that both are back on the island is a strong one.
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The two veterans and Lamoriello have great respect, and the team's general manager shared that he had talks with both of them ahead of free agency when we spoke at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas.
Both players are married and have young kids, so uprooting their families to go elsewhere isn't likely something they want to do.
A few years ago, I reported around the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline that the Colorado Avalanche had an interest in acquiring Clutterbuck.
However, at the time, Clutterbuck was hurt, and a trade never happened, not that the Islanders would have moved him anyway.
That was two years ago, and many things have changed.
I could see Clutterbuck, because of the season he just had, garnering interest from other clubs.
At 36, he played in all 82 games for the first time in his NHL career and became the first player in NHL history to reach the 4,000-hit club.
Martin, at 35, suffered various injuries throughout the season, as he missed 26 games, including the final two playoff games against the Carolina Hurricanes.
If Martin were to play in 2024-25, the Islanders are likely the only team to sign him since he still "has to prove" he can play.
For those saying, "Didn't you watch him this past season?"
It's a fair point. But then you have to remember his ankle injury in 2021-22, when he struggled to move on the ice, before having a major bounce back in his game in 2022-23.
I'm not saying Martin is a starter in the Islanders' lineup, but like Scott Mayfield, judging Martin's ability to keep pace given the injuries he did have (core ones) this past season may not be a true reflection of how much he has in the tank.
I can't speak for either Clutterbuck or Martin, but it's incredibly likely that if the Islanders do have space at the end of the summer, one of these two--if not both--is coming back.
If not, that closes a tremendous chapter in Islanders' history.
For many fans, their belief is that it's time to move on from both and get younger.
It's not the wrong belief, as it's important for the Islanders to let some of their younger players get NHL minutes, even if it's in a bottom-six role, but that doesn't mean that losing Clutterbuck and/or Martin doesn't dramatically impact the Islanders' locker room -- because it does.
Outside of two seasons in Toronto that tend to be forgotten given just how impactful he's been on the island, Martin has been an Islander for 13 of his 15 seasons in the NHL.
For most of his career, he's been a staple on the club's fourth line, becoming inseparable from Clutterbuck and centerman Casey Cizikas, the club's identity line.
Martin sits just 45 games from reaching the 1,000-game club, which Clutterbuck hit in the first half of the 2023-24 season.
For players whose physicality is their bread and butter, reaching that milestone is not common at all.
On locker room cleanout day, both were adamant that retirement wasn't their plan, but that doesn't mean things don't change.
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