New York Islanders
Report: Matt Martin Signed to 4-Year Deal with Islanders
The new contract Matt Martin has agreed to with the New York Islanders will surprise a lot of people. The new deal for the Islanders’ fourth-liner is a four-year deal with a $1.5 million AAV, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple.
News that the new contract would be bigger than many had expected first came in Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts column on Tuesday. The NHL insider wrote that the larger deal was “reflective of the loyalty the Islanders feel to him.”
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Friedman’s initial report also indicated that the Islanders were trying to free up some more cap space by moving defenseman Thomas Hickey along with some sort of trade sweetener. Hickey was not on the ice during Tuesday’s on-ice training camp workouts.
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters during a New Year’s Eve Zoom call that Matt Martin had agreed to terms on a new contract.
The expectation was that the deal would be for a shorter period of time, but Lamoriello has a history of signing Martin to longer contracts. Lamoriello was general manager in Toronto when Martin signed for four years there in 2016.
Matt Martin is one of the most beloved figures in the Islanders’ dressing room. He has been a staple of the team’s fourth line and someone who has become synonymous with the Islanders over the course of his career.
And when he is playing with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, the trio has been viewed as one of the best fourth lines in the NHL.