The Clock is Ticking On Matt Martin and the Islanders
ChrisTriants | Sep 13, 2012 | Comments 8
Well, it’s been a while. I haven’t really been around these past however many days it’s been. On Friday, I left for Tampa, and I’ve been in vacation mode since. I’m back, though, and I’m looking forward to getting back in touch will all of you at HockeyIndependent.
It doesn’t seem like there has been much change on the NHL side of things in the past week. The dark cloud of September 15th looms overhead, and although I think we will have a 2012-13 season, it’s reasonable to be a little anxious at this point. I mean, this lockout business is really screwing up everything. Fans are left in the dark from all of this, and it’s making it really hard to get excited for anything related to hockey (yes, even NHL 13).
Training camp should be starting on September 21st, but updates and excitement are lacking because of the big “maybe” attached to it. It’s always fun to get an early look at your team and the unknown players that emerge (think Matt Moulson during the 2009-10 season), but this year, fans might not be able to get that opportunity.
Speaking of training camp, the Islanders in-house rule is that any player looking to be on the roster for the upcoming season must be signed by the date when training camp begins; otherwise, the player will have to sit out the entire season. Islanders fans might be familiar with this rule because of an incident two years ago when Josh Bailey was about to sit out, but then signed a two-year deal. For those who think the Islanders are bluffing, former first-round pick Sean Bergenheim did sit out an entire season because he did not sign with the team by the start of training camp. Charles Wang means business, and will not allow a contract dispute to interfere with his team.
With that being said, Matt Martin is still not under contract with the New York Islanders. Martin, a restricted free agent, has not come to terms with the organization. Although I highly doubt the Islanders and Martin will not come to an agreement by the time training camp starts (if training camp starts), the clock is ticking. What will it take for our fan-favorite to re-up with the team within the next 9 days?
Let’s make this clear: Martin had an outstanding season for the New York Islanders. Matty Marts is coming off a record-breaking season where he dished out 374 hits, which was 81 more than Dustin Brown during the 2011-12 season. The previous record of 356 (held by Cal Clutterbuck) was shattered by Martin, who was really the only true physical presence on this past Islanders team. He played his role perfectly.
Our only physical presence finds other ways to contribute to this team along with the massive hits, though. Martin is not a one-trick pony. In his second full-season, Martin tied his career-high in points (14), but improved his goals total from 5 to 7. Yes, I know it’s not much, but Martin did this bouncing around between the 3rd and 4th lines, which were not productive by any means during the 2011-12 season.
Martin also showed improvement around the net, increasing his shots total from 60 to 130, which shows that he was at least getting pucks to the net. To put this number in retrospect, his 130 shots were good for 8th on the team and higher than Josh Bailey. An argument could be made that this says more about Bailey than it does Martin, but there is no denying that it certainly looks good on Martin.
He had a presence around the net throughout the season, and he even showed, at times, his ability to drive the puck (and his body) to the net. I saw him cut in front of opposing goalies several times this past season. It’s not hard to believe that Martin could become a more productive offensive player as time goes on, much like Cal Clutterbuck, who is a good comparison to our fan-favorite.
Let’s look at him for a second. Before last season, Clutterbuck was the three-time reigning hits champion and hits record holder. Really, every season Clutterbuck was in the league (he played his first full season in 2008-09), Clutterbuck led the league in this category. Through his first two seasons, Clutterbuck scored 24 goals and 15 assists for 39 points. In comparison, Martin scored 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points.
Cal was rewarded with a 3-year, $4.2 million contract before he became an RFA, just like Martin.
During Cal’s 3rd and 4th seasons, Clutterbuck scored 19 goals and 15 goals, respectively. He scored 61 points over this span, while still being among the NHL’s top-3 hitters. Minnesota got a solid bang-for-it’s-buck…no pun intended.
Martin dethroned Clutterbuck as the NHL hits leader during Cal’s 4th-season, and only his second. Just like Clutterbuck, Martin was slated to be an RFA after year two in the NHL, but unlike Clutterbuck, Martin is still without a contract.
I think Clutterbuck’s contract almost nails it, but here’s what I think should happen: The Islanders should add an extra year because it’s not so often the Islanders find a player like him. Four years, $7 million on the contract to show Martin that he’s better than his counterpart and to keep the core of this team together.
All I know is the clock is ticking on this one, and you better believe the Islanders would force him to sit out (no matter how ridiculous). So, what do all of you think? What should it take to keep him, and be fair to both sides?
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Filed Under: New York Islanders
I hope theres a season and even a Brooklyn game however I think signing Martin is a necessity. Give him what he deserves and stop being cheap.
Martin is an essential piece to this team. It’s highly unlikely that the Islanders would part ways with him, or reach a point where he would have to sit-out an entire season, so there’s plenty of optimism that he will be under contract by training camp, when/if it starts. I agree that there is no point in being cheap with Martin. He shouldn’t even be that expensive, so let’s get it done.
It’s unfortunate that all of this is overlooked because of the impending lockout tomorrow. Sad day in hockey again.
Well, the Isles got away pretty cheap Id say. Garth locked him up for a good price and for a nice duration.
I think it was a steal. Good on Garth and the rest of the organization. Martin wants to be here too, which is so important. Now, if only we can do away with this lockout.
Unfortunately Wang will not be anything else but CHEAP. That’s why he hasn’t been able to sign FA’s from outside the organization. Notice the signings Garth has made. Most are the guys Garth see’s as the “core” and these guys have been giving him home team discounts because they want to be here. Thats a great thing. The problem is that we keep hearing about how guys signed elsewhere for less money such as Erhoff, Smyth, and Paul Martin. But what I have heard is these contracts were back loaded. Who wants to sign a back loaded contract with a team that is in the situation like the Isles. No guarantees that they will have a home in a few years and they haven’t been a legit competitor in ages.
So I’m glad we got MM, JT, Frans, KO, and Grabs signed for a while, at fair prices. But SnoWang are trying to build a team like no other GM/owner has. That’s by betting like 99% solely on prospects. I think that is really tough to do. What are the chances that all of these kids pan out? I hope the cheapness ends sooner or later. Maybe when he gets his arena he will shoot the locks off the wallet. Or maybe he sells the team to someone who will keep them here. That would be the best news to hear as an Isles fan in decades.
anyway, sorry to be voicing some of the negativeness surrounding the Isles on your positive minded Isles fan blog. I couldn’t be a bigger Isles fan, believe me. I just find myself becoming jaded. The next step is apathy. Especially if they leave. But to be honest I have a hard time being apathetic to the Isles. I want to experience what its like to be proud as an Isles fan. I haven’t felt that way since my graduation year in 1993. But then again in the early 2000′s when Wang 1st took over and we made the playoffs.
Hey, look. First off, all opinions are cool with me, so no need to apologize.
Second, I totally understand the feelings that you (and most Islanders fans) tend to feel. Truth is, we haven’t been very good, and yes, the main thing Snow and Wang are asking for is patience, which is hard to come by when there hasn’t been great success. Admittedly, the best season I’ve really been able to witness was the 2001-02 season, which was when they signed Yashin, Peca, and claimed Osgood off waivers.
Anyways, it’s great that they have locked these guys up. Of course, there is the risk that these guys never become the guys we want them to become,but here’s the thing. Tavares and Moulson have proven to be more than capable stars. That’s not saying Moulson is better than an Ovechkin, but it takes a special guy to pot 30 goals consistently. Frans is the ideal guy we want on the third line, but unfortunately, we are still waiting for pieces to take over his second line roster spot. Grabs and Okposo need to show consistency, but they are, at worst, 20 goal scorers, AND they signed for cheap, which will allow the team to sign other free agents.
Now, to Snow’s credit, the free agent market the past few years hasn’t exactly been great. Sure, we would have loved to see some of the guys like Parise join the team, but were the Islanders really going to overpay for a Scottie Upshall, or some of the other guys we’ve seen get signed for way over what they deserve? In the long-run (and sometimes the short run) that really screws your team.
The Isles certainly went after the likes of Paul Martin, Christian Ehrhoff, and Ryan Smyth, but truth is, we also haven’t heard too much from them after we “missed out.” Sure, Smyth had a bounce back season in 2011-12, but that was after underachieving for an entire contract after he snubbed us. Christian Ehrhoff greatly underachieved in Buffalo, and by no means would he have saved us. Paul Martin would have probably been the best addition, but I guess he couldn’t resist the chance to win a Cup alongside Crysby (shows that NJ made it to the Finals without him).
Anyways, that’s just my two cents. The Rangers were suddenly a playoff team after the lockout, the same year when they were supposed to be a basement team. As long as the Islanders are 0-0-0, there’s no need to worry. These guys might come into their own. No one denies the team’s talent, just their ability to stay consistent.
Thanks for reading again, sorry that it took a little bit.
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