Three Islanders Who Are Unlikely to Return in the 2024-25 Season

The New York Islanders have brought some new faces to the team this offseason. Those new additions joining the team will likely end the tenures of several long-time Islanders. There are three players who are particularly unlikely to return to the team for the 2024-25 season.

Matt Martin

Matt Martin has been one of the most beloved Islanders over the last decade. He served as the team’s primary enforcer while providing a hard-hitting presence on the fourth line. While Martin’s willingness to fight literally anybody has been of use to the Islanders, he may have skated his last game for the team. Turning 35 amidst the 2023-24 season, Martin started to show some notable signs of decline. While he might still have the drive and ability to play in spite of that, it doesn’t make sense for him to return. 

The emergence of Kyle MacLean as well as the additions of Anthony Duclair and Maxim Tsyplakov have heightened the team’s depth at forward. In addition, the Islanders have basically no more cap space left to spend, so they’d have to do some maneuvering to bring Martin back on even a minimum deal. That being said, it just makes more sense to use the players available to them rather than making an effort to bring Martin back for a season in which he’ll turn 36 years old. 

Cal Clutterbuck

Along with the aforementioned Martin and Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck has been instrumental to the Islanders’ fourth line. Since joining the Islanders via trade in 2013, Clutterbuck has made a living as one of the league’s most frequent hitters. This past season, he became the first ever player in the NHL to reach the 4,000-hit threshold. He’s also been a regular on the penalty killing unit throughout his Islanders tenure. Clutterbuck has maintained his usual level of play even through last season, finishing in the top five in the NHL in hits.

However, like Martin, Clutterbuck is an older player at a position the Islanders have a lot of strength at. The only thing making his return slightly more likely than Martin’s is his continued success as a hitter, which no player on the current roster could efficiently replicate. But given the team’s depth and current cap situation, it’s unlikely that Clutterbuck will be back in an Islanders uniform. 

Oliver Wahlstrom

Of the players mentioned on this list, Oliver Wahlstrom is the most probable departure heading into the new season. Lou Lamoriello discussed Wahlstrom’s status at the draft and seemed to be looking to give him an opportunity elsewhere. The former 11th overall pick has had a rough road in the NHL after a promising rookie campaign. He never was able to replicate his success as a scorer and struggled to keep a spot in the lineup. Barry Trotz, Lane Lambert and Patrick Roy all tried using Wahlstrom and ultimately decided to limit his playing time. 

With that, it’s clearly best for the player and the team to move on. The 24-year-old Wahlstrom still has some promise but won’t have much of a chance to try and develop it with the Islanders. The team is pretty settled at winger, and Roy didn’t utilize him much at all during his tenure. Wahlstrom needs a chance to play more consistently, and that chance will unfortunately not come with the Islanders. 

Featured image courtesy of NHL.com

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