EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck spent the majority of the last 11 years together on the New York Islanders’ fourth line.
Now they head into the offseason as unrestricted free agents and neither veteran winger has any intention of retiring.
“The retirement narrative was certainly not something I started,” Martin joked. I plan to play next year… my future is unknown at the moment, but that’ll sort itself out.”
Turning 35 years old on Wednesday, Martin has already gone through this once. He departed New York in 2016 to join the Toronto Maple Leafs before returning two years later. The bruising forward appeared in just 57 games this season and missed the final two games of the Islanders’ first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes with a lower-body injury that will need an MRI this week.
It was the first time he missed a postseason game after appearing in 82 straight for the Islanders — the team’s active leader in playoff games played.
“I wasn’t planning on ending it anyway but … I hadn’t missed a playoff game prior to this year so it sucks watching and missing out,” Martin said. “But I’m certainly more motivated [for next year].”
Whether he calls the Islanders or elsewhere home remains to be seen, but Martin does not appear to be looking too far ahead into the offseason.
“I’m going to take things day by day,” Martin said. “I don’t look too far into the future. I just focus on what I need to do to be ready and the rest of it will sort itself out. Everyone knows how I feel about this place and my intention would be to play here. But I’ll have exit meetings and rest and everything will have time to sort itself out.”
Clutterbuck did not mince his words either in stating his desire to remain with the Islanders, though understood the nature of the business might not make that possible.
“I’d love to play [next season] and obviously I’d love to play here,” Clutterbuck said. “This has been home for a very long time. I put a lot into my time here and had great experiences. I will be an Islander for life.”
After being acquired from the Minnesota Wild ahead of the 2013-14 season, the 36-year-old joined Martin in entering cult hero status amongst a fan base that idolized the physical work ethic they showed. During his decade-plus with the Islanders, Clutterbuck hit the 1,000 games plateau and became the NHL’s hit king.
But younger players are beginning to push for roster spots to phase out the pair potentially. Kyle MacLean has proven himself to be a legitimate fourth-line option. Hudson Fasching will also be pushing for a more consistent role within the team. So will Simon Holmstrom.
“I’m going to take some time to make a decision,” Clutterbuck said. “I’m just going to gather the information, look at the options, and go from there.”
What they potentially leave behind is an unmistakable legacy and impression on a tight-knit locker room that expects to see some changes this offseason. Though no skater will be impacted more than Casey Cizikas, Martin and Clutterbuck’s long-time center and linemate on what was once deemed “The Best Fourth Line in Hockey.”
“It’s definitely not easy. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Cizikas said. “That’s up to the big man upstairs… It was amazing [playing with them for so long]. That’s the best way to put it. I was the young kid on the line and they definitely molded me into the player that I needed to be. They were there every second and I look up to those guys a lot… We’ve been through a lot together.”
