A pair of long-time Islanders remain unsigned more than five weeks into free agency with wingers Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck still on the open market. That has led some to wonder if New York might be able to find a way to bring them back into the fold at a lower price tag.
Speaking with Ethan Sears of the New York Post, GM Lou Lamoriello tried to pour cold water on that idea. While he didn’t entirely rule the idea out, he indicated that it’s something he’s not considering at this time:
We’ll probably be moving on. That isn’t saying things can’t change. We’re talking about two veterans, two quality individuals. Two team leaders and two real good hockey players, so we’ll have to see how things come about.
Martin is a veteran of 15 NHL seasons, all but two of which have come with the Isles. The 35-year-old has yet to reach 20 points in a single season but in his prime, he was a key cog of a strong and physical fourth line group that could play bigger minutes than a fourth line generally does. Last season, Martin was limited to just 57 games between injuries and a few healthy scratches, collecting four goals and four assists along with 151 hits.
Clutterbuck, meanwhile, has a 17-year NHL career with the last 11 of those seasons being played in New York. While his peak offensive years were better than Martin’s, a lot of his per-season numbers wound up being pretty close as another member of that vaunted fourth line. Last season, Clutterbuck managed to stay healthy, playing the first 82-game campaign of his career where he picked up seven goals, 12 assists, and 273 hits.
Lamoriello elected to bring in a pair of more offensive-minded forwards to take their spots on the roster this summer. Anthony Duclair was brought in on a four-year, $14MM contract while they beat out many suitors to land Russian winger Maxim Tsyplakov on a one-year, entry-level pact. With the Isles failing to crack the top 20 in goals scored for the past three seasons, looking for more firepower and speed certainly made sense although it comes at the expense of a pair of fan favorites who will have to look elsewhere if they want to continue their respective careers.
Would the Rangers have considered Martin ?
That’s not bad. Love to see them both on Chicago with Foligno and Maroon.
On a PTO
They both should have been gone a few years ago, along with a few other bystanders on this team. How do you expect to improve the team with the same cast of characters year after year. Good luck to them both, but PLEASE DON’T BRING THEM BACK..