Barring any additional injuries or illnesses, the Islanders will be whole again at some point during this season-opening 13-game road trip. Goalie Semyon Varlamov returned to practice on Monday and he’s expected back very soon, perhaps as early as Thursday in Columbus, but when the Islanders take on the Blackhawks on Tuesday night in Chicago, they will welcome back one of their emotional leaders: forward Matt Martin is set to make his season debut.
After off-season ankle surgery, Martin is set to rejoin Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas to reunite the Islanders’ “identity line,” or, as many have called it, the best fourth line in hockey. The ankle had been a problem for Martin since March, when he blocked a couple of shots in back-to-back games. He dealt with it throughout the Isles’ run to the Stanley Cup Semifinals, and he was hoping the injury would heal during the off-season.
“It didn’t and I went to see the specialist and went the surgery route,” said Martin. “It’s maybe even a little earlier than the initial time frame of it. I feel good.”
And the Islanders certainly feel good about welcoming Martin back to the lineup. The Isles are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, but they dropped their first two games of the season in Carolina and Florida, and now they will look to Martin to provide a spark.
“I think he’s a smart player,” said Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz of Martin. “He understands the moments and he brings an emotional element to our group for sure and obviously a physical element.”
The Islanders certainly did not play well in their first two games, especially defensively; they allowed 41 shots in a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Carolina last Thursday, and 29 more in Saturday night’s 5-1 setback to the Panthers in Florida. The fourth “identity line” was not able to establish much in those first two games, with Ross Johnston taking Martin’s spot in Carolina while Leo Komarov skated with Cizikas and Clutterbuck in Florida.
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It’s only two games into the season, but the Islanders have a few things to fix, and perhaps the return of one of their leaders will help guide the Isles in the right direction. Martin’s return to the fourth line completes the four-line look that the Islanders expected to have coming into the season, and now it’s just a matter of the Isles finding their game and executing.
“What’s always made us successful as a team is we just know our roles,” said Martin. “We know what to do, not only as individuals, but as lines. We haven’t gotten off to the start we’ve wanted to. We’ve played two really good hockey teams in their buildings.”
When the Islanders have hit bumps in the road during the Lou Lamoriello/Barry Trotz era, they’ve generally figured out a way to work things out. They embraced the idea of being in the post-season bubble in 2020 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final. Last season, the Islanders overcame the loss of Captain Anders Lee to injury and still made a return to the NHL’s final four.
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“We’ve done a good job dealing with adversity over the last three years,” said Martin. “We’ll look to get on the right track.”
The pre-season excitement and hype surrounding the Islanders has been derailed a little bit here early in the season, but the Islanders are hoping that the return of Matt Martin will help them find their mojo as they get set to take the United Center ice.
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