The NY Islanders begin life after Cal Clutterbuck

The NY Islanders began their first training camp without Cal Clutterbuck in 12 seasons yesterday, as Lou Lamoriello announced the organization would not be bringing back the NHL's all-time leader in hits.

The "Identity Line" became the heart and soul of the Islanders, as the fourth line symbolized the grit and grind-it-out mentality of the Islanders.

It appeared that Casey Cizikas would be the only remaining piece of the Identity Line until Lamoriello said the Islanders were bringing back Matt Martin on a PTO.

While the entire team is dealing with Clutterbuck's departure, it certainly hits players like Cizikas much harder.

"It's weird not having him here," Cizikas said after day one of training camp. "He was one of my closest friends - my best friends. You know, it definitely sucks not having him here but what he taught me over the years, what I've learned from him, just from talking to him, just from listening to him, I'm going to try and incorporate that moving forward towards the guys in the group."

Without Clutterbuck's presence and Martin's inclusion in the team yet to be determined, Cizikas will be forced to step up into more of a leadership role.

With training camp kicking off across the league today, Clutterbuck remains without a contract or a PTO. This doesn't necessarily mean he'll be without a team for the 2024-25 season, as his leadership and energy would be a welcomed boost to nearly any organization.

It's difficult to imagine Clutterbuck not catching on with a team sooner than later, but it's difficult to picture him in another teams sweater.