Lamoriello updates fans on the NY Islanders fate of Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck
It's over for one, it's not over quite yet for the other
New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello addressed the media on day two of rookie training camp on Friday morning and provided an update on the fates of Identity Line veterans Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. One won't be back, and one is back, for now.
Lamoriello confirmed that the team has invited Martin to camp for a professional tryout (PTO), while Clutterbuck will not return for a 12th consecutive season on Long Island.
Of the two, the 36-year-old Clutterbuck was the more productive player last season, defying the durability narrative and playing in all 82 regular season games, scoring seven goals and 19 assists. It was also a season of milestones for Clutterbuck, as he reached the 1,000 NHL games played mark and became the first player in NHL history to record 4,000 hits in a career.
He indicated he wanted to play this season but likely did not see a path to earning a roster spot with the Isles, who added Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov and signed Kyle MacLean to an extension. It'll be interesting to see if Clutterbuck accepts a PTO in a different situation in an attempt to continue his career elsewhere. “I’d love to play and obviously I’d love to play here,” Clutterbuck said after the postseason. “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.”
As for Martin, it could be Long Island or nowhere after accepting a PTO. “The retirement narrative was certainly not something I started,” said Martin at the end of the season. "I plan to play next year. My future is unknown at the moment, but that’ll sort itself out.”
The 35-year-old has played 15 NHL seasons, with 13 of them with the Islanders after he signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs after the 2015-16 season before being acquired by Lamoriello in a trade ahead of the 2018-19 season. Back on Long Island and reunited with Clutterbuck and Casey Cizkas, the fourth line flourished again under Barry Trotz, gaining the moniker "The Identity Line," bringing energy and physicality to set the tone for the entire roster.
Whether Martin makes the team or not, it's the end of an era on Long Island.