Matt Martin spoke after day one of training camp about being on a PTO.
Matt Martin spoke after day one of training camp about being on a PTO.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- Long-time New York Islanders forward Matt Martin is at training camp on a PTO.
Martin, 35, is coming off an eight-point season (four goals, four assists), where he suffered three different injuries that limited him to playing 57 games.
Regardless of the circumstances, he's happy to be back.
"I have a lot of familiarity with the group, so it's good to be back in the room and have fun again," Martin said. "It's a little bit different, but nothing out of the ordinary in terms of how locker rooms are."
Martin is battling for a roster spot with guys like Simon Holmstrom, Hudson Fasching, and Oliver Wahlstrom, amongst a few others, in hopes that head coach Patrick Roy has room for the veteran grinder.
He skated with Fredrik Karlstrom and Hudson Fasching on day one.
The biggest reason Martin is here is to prove that he is healthy enough to be a factor, something he couldn't do last season.
"Obviously, last season didn't end the way anyone wanted it to, but especially for myself, being injured, not being able to play," Martin said. "I'm mainly showing that I'm healthy. It was exciting to get the first day out of the way to see if I could match that kind of intensity.
"The body held up well, and I'm excited for more."
Martin has a career 153 points (73 goals, 80 assists) in 823 games as an Islander over the course of 13 seasons.
He sits just 45 games shy of reaching the 1,000-game milestone.
"I don't have expectations necessarily, but as a competitor, you believe you can make any team," Martin said. "I'm very much a day-by-day type of person. I think I said that to you guys before the summer even started. For me; it was about getting through, especially the first day, and making sure I feel good, which I do, and just take it day by day."
For a guy like Ryan Pulock, Martin has meant a whole lot:
"I think step one is it's awesome to see him here," Pulock said. "He's been a key part here for a long time and such a leader and a guy that I look up to. And a lot of guys in here look up to him. Obviously, having him here, and we'll see where it all plays out, but he's been a key piece here for a long time and and a real key guy in this locker room.
"He can do a lot on and off the ice. He can do a lot. He has stuck out for his teammates his whole career. And you know that's not going to change. And he plays a simple game up there. You know what you're going to get every night. He might not go out there and have two points every night, but he's gonna go out there, he's gonna compete, he's gonna do the little things to win, and he's gonna set an example for everyone else in here."
The Islanders only have $25,000 in cap space, so general manager Lou Lamoriello will need to make some moves to get Martin a contract pending a strong camp from No. 17.
“He has nothing to prove to me," Roy said. "I mean, we know the quality of the person, and it's more a Lou matter than my matter. It’ll be more to Lou to decide what's going to happen at the end. My job is to prepare this team for the start of this season, not deciding who's going to be part of the team.
"Marty is a quality person. I have so much respect for him, and I love what he did for us last year. He's an Islander. He's proud of this organization. That's the reason he's here on the tryout."