Martin will attend Islanders training camp on a PTO, with a chance of landing a contract for the 2024-25 season.

“Matt Martin will be coming to camp on a tryout,” Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said Friday, when meeting with reporters at their rookie camp.

Just last month, Lamoriello said that the Islanders will “probably be moving on” from Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. Those veteran forwards helped form the Islanders’ “Identity Line” with center Casey Cizikas for the large part since 2013-14.

But Martin trained on Long Island this summer with the hope of getting another opportunity with the Islanders. The 35-year-old has played 955 NHL games, all but 132 with the Islanders. He is seventh all-time in franchise history with 823 games played, and sixth with 985 penalty minutes.

Last season, Martin accepted Matt Rempe’s challenge and fought the Rangers rookie on his first NHL shift in front of 79,000 fans at MetLife Stadium. Martin finished with eight points (four goals, four assists) and 43 penalty minutes in 57 games.

Fitting Martin under the salary cap will be difficult for the Islanders. Sitting right at the cap limit of $88 million, the Islanders would have to trade or release someone — a forward likely — from the NHL roster to make room for Martin on an affordable deal.

Related: Former Rangers goalie Keith Kinkaid trys to finish ‘Metropolitan-area trio’ with Islanders PTO

Rangers rival reveals Ilya Sorokin injury

Lamoriello also provided information about star goalie Ilya Sorokin which should catch the attention of the Rangers and all other Islanders opponents.

“During summer training, he had a little bit of a thing. He is skating, it’s nothing we’re concerned about,” Lamoriello said. “Will he miss the first day (of training camp), the first couple of days? Maybe, but I’m going to leave that up to the training staff.”

Lamoriello said that “thing” is an upper-body injury.

There was speculation about Sorokin because he wasn’t taking part in informal practices with teammates ahead of training camp. Lamoriello expressed surprise at recent rumors concerning Sorokin.

“There is no one with a more impeccable character and mental toughness than Ilya Sorokin,” Lamoriello said. “I was shocked and have no knowledge of anything that was rumored out there. … He’s been here all summer.”

A Vezina Trophy finalist in 2022-23, Sorokin struggled last season. He posted an NHL career-worst 3.01 goals-against average and . 909 save percentage and was pulled in his one start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Islanders lost in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Islanders also have veteran Semyon Varlamov in goal. The 36-year-old stepped up last season with a 2.60 GAA and .918 save percentage.

Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello told Ethan Sears of the New York Post this past weekend “we’ll probably be moving on” from Martin and Clutterbuck.

Certainly, that’s not a big surprise. Especially considering the Islanders are right up against the salary cap after re-signing forward Oliver Wahlstrom in late July.

It is the most definitive language Lamoriello has used this offseason when discussing the futures of Martin and Clutterbuck, however.

Neither player said he’d retire, so the window is open for training camp invites, either on Long Island or elsewhere. And Lamoriello hasn’t completely shut the door on Martin and/or Clutterbuck.

“That isn’t saying things can’t change,” the Islanders GM stated. “We’re talking about two veterans, two quality individuals. Two team leaders and two real good hockey players. So, we’ll have to see how things come about.”

If neither player returns, that takes a lot of thump out of the Islanders lineup. Kyle MacLean, who averaged 11.15 hits per 60 minutes in 32 games as a rookie last season, will be expected to pick up much of that slack.

But there’s no question that their fourth line looks far less imposing physically without Martin and Clutterbuck. Especially to the Rangers, who likely will have Matt Rempe leading the physical charge in the Blueshirts bottom six this season.

Clutterbuck played all 82 games last season and led the Islanders with 273 hits. Martin was limited to 57 games but still was credited with 151 hits and was tops on the Islanders by averaging 17.06 hits per 60 minutes.

Related: Rangers star says Kaapo Kakko needs “coach’s trust” to thrive in NHL

Rangers no longer will be challenged by ‘Identity Line’

Martin and Clutterbuck formed the “Identity Line” for the Islanders since the latter arrived in a trade with the Minnesota Wild ahead of the 2013-14 season. That pair flanked center Casey Cizikas for years, playing a hard-hitting, grinding style. They punished opponents, chipped in offensively and were responsible defensively at even strength and on the penalty kill.

Martin and Clutterbuck each could, and would, fight. But they brought much more value with their gloves on, rather than off.

Really, that’s the template the Rangers want Rempe to emulate.

Martin has played the seventh most games in Islanders history (823) since entering the League in 2009-10. Including a brief two-year stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Martin has racked up 3,849 hits and 1,158 penalty minutes.

Clutterbuck is 12th on the Islanders all-time games played list (718). He has 2,572 hits and 361 penalty minutes with them, and 4,029 hits total over his 17-year NHL career.

They were always a handful for the Rangers, even last season when Martin was 35 and Clutterbuck 36. Averaging less than 10 minutes per game in four games against the Rangers last season, Clutterbuck still totaled 12 hits. Martin, of course, fought Rempe in front of 79,000 fans outdoors at MetLife Stadium.

With the Islanders, Martin played 52 games against the Rangers and amassed four goals, six points and 101 penalty minutes. Not exactly loved at Madison Square Garden, Martin was always respected by Rangers players and coaches.

Ditto for the hard-working Clutterbuck, who played 37 games with the Islanders against the Rangers and had six goals and 13 points. As recently as Oct. 16, 2022, the veteran rocked the Blueshirts with nine hits in 13:42 of ice time in a 3-0 Islanders win.

Love them or hate them, Martin and Clutterbuck were a big part of the Rangers-Islanders rivalry the past 10+ years. And they’ll be missed when the teams meet for the first time this season on Nov. 3, a Sunday matinee at MSG.

Matt Martin will play his 951st NHL game when the New York Islanders host Rempe and the Rangers on Tuesday. He’s a great example of being one of the League’s best fighters, yet a trusted fixture in the lineup, as well.

“He’s obviously trying to make a name for himself,” Martin told the New York Post on Monday. “There’s certainly a line, I guess, that we all try to walk in terms of being effective and efficient and not costing your team at the same time. He’s a young kid. I’m sure he’s gonna figure out all those aspects of it. I’m sure his coaching staff’s talking to him about it.

“But he’s laying it all on the line and obviously he’s trying to make a name for himself and stick in this league, which is what all kids dream about. He’s been impactful for them. But he’s still gotta find that line and walk it consistently, keep himself on the ice a little bit more.”

Related: Stu Bickel recalls prior Rangers-Devils line brawl, praises Matt Rempe in podcast interview

Matt Rempe ‘gotta prove’ he can play regular shift for Rangers, Matt Martin says

Rempe began his NHL career by fighting Martin on his first shift in his debut in front of 79,000 fans outdoors at MetLife Stadium in February. Since then, there’ve been four more fights, including the Main Event against Kurtis MacDermid in a line brawl against the New Jersey Devils last week, a team-leading 69 penalty minutes and a four-game suspension for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.

The 21-year-old rookie is averaging slightly more than five minutes in ice time over 15 games played, and been kicked out of three games already, severely cutting into his opportunity to actually play.

But the popular forward has also shown signs that he can be an effective forechecker and responsible defensively on the fourth line. Rempe has 44 hits and is a plus-two, to go along with one goal and one assist.

“You gotta prove you can play and take a regular shift,” Martin offered.

Former rugged Rangers defenseman Stu Bickel, now an assistant coach with Coachella Valley in the American Hockey League, echoed similar sentiments in an interview with Forever Blueshirts.

“The game is definitely changing, it already has changed quite a bit since I was doing it, so you can’t be one dimensional, you have to be able to play the game,” Bickel explained. “You see the skille level of the young players coming up, so you have to be a really good player even in that role. … You have to be a bit more well-rounded these days.”

With the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs less than two weeks away, Rempe is trying to prove in the final four regular-season games that he deserves a spot in the Rangers lineup. Proving to coach Peter Laviolette that he can be trusted to play smart and pick his spots is key for him.

Recent lineup decisions seem to indicate Rempe will be the 13th forward when the playoffs commence, and Jonny Brodzinski will remain in the lineup. If so, Rempe still has plenty of runway in front of him to carve out a respected career like Martin, especially if he proves himself as an all-around player.

“Hopefully for him, he’s just trying to carve out a career for himself,” Martin said. “He’s just gotta find that balancing act.”

Rempe became the first player to make his NHL debut in an outdoor game when the towering forward skated here Sunday in the Rangers’ 6-5 overtime win against the Islanders at MetLife Stadium in the 2024 Stadium Series.

That his debut coincided with a remarkable comeback victory and was played in front of 79,600 fans would be enough to make this an incredible day for the 21-year-old. But a rousing fight with Islanders veteran Matt Martin on his first NHL shift added to how special this all was for Rempe, too.

“It was awesome,” Rempe said postgame. “It was a lot of fun playing with [Adam Edstrom] and [Barclay Goodrow], get in there, forecheck and stuff. And get a huge win. It was a whirlwind of emotions and unbelievable.

“It was a dream come true.”

Related: Stadium Series notebook

Matt Rempe fights Matt Martin on first shift with Rangers

But what about that fight with Martin?

“I was patrolling the red line in warmies (warmups) and we were making eye contact with each other, and I know he’s a really tough customer and I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He’s had a helluva career as a tough guy,” Rempe explained.

“That first shift, we lined up there and he told me congrats and asked me if I wanted it, and I said ‘Hell yeah!’ And I went, and that was awesome. A lot of fun, a good fight. It was surreal.”

✅ First NHL game
🥊 First NHL fight

6-foot-8 Matt Rempe drops em' with Matt Martin https://t.co/eLQXfY3vUh

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 18, 2024

That shift came right after Erik Gustafsson had given the Rangers a 1-0 lead just 1:28 into the game. One second later, Rempe’s mitts were hitting the ice and his fists were flying.

Rempe handled himself quite well in the fight. Afterward, the 6-foot-8 forward waved his arms in the air as the fans at MetLife roared their approval. In the penalty box, he had a big smile on his face as he and Martin talked things over.

“He was just telling me congrats on my first fight and game, told me to just enjoy it,” Rempe said. “He told me helluva fight. So, it was good. 

“He also told me he’s fought [Zdeno] Chara and he told me he thinks my arms are longer. That was cool.”

Rempe played nine shifts totaling 4:26. He missed one attempted shot, was credited with a hit and was 0-for-1 in the face-off circle.

⚠️ Cool Hockey Story Alert ⚠️

Matt Rempe of the @NYRangers makes his NHL debut at #StadiumSeries! He's the first player in NHL history to debut in an outdoor game.

🇺🇸: @ESPNPlus or ABC ➡️ https://t.co/FmPv8M6v1l
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/m5XJRVMbI8

— NHL (@NHL) February 18, 2024

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette was impressed.

“I thought Matt came in here and he did exactly what we wanted him to do,” Laviolette explained. “He provided some size and physicality and had some good shifts with his line in the offensive zone. … and it was a heckuva fight.

“He couldn’t have had a better night.”

Rangers should go after Matt Martin?

In his latest edition of Slap Shots, Larry Brooks entertains the idea the Rangers should go after Matt Martin. However, when you really dive into the article, it is more of an indictment on how “soft” the Rangers are in Brooks’ opinion. He also questions David Quinn as truly being a four line coach since statistically, he doesn’t really play that line for more than 6 minutes a night.

Now, this idea of Matt Martin on the Rangers was hinted at by his father-in-law, Boomer Esiason. The former Jets QB, WFAN radio host, and huge Rangers fan eluded to the idea which fans on social media perpetuated.

Here’s the deal, if the Rangers were to sign the 31 year-old Martin to a multi-year deal at over the current $2.5 million he earned, who are they getting rid of? Which two RFA’s are you letting walk? For 10 minutes a night.

I spoke with a source close to the team that confirmed my thoughts on the situation. It isn’t happening. Put it to bed.

Rangers haven’t started talks with Ryan Strome

We are a little over two weeks away from the NHL draft and the Rangers have yet to open any discussions with Ryan Strome. This is likely the case with all NYR free-agents at the moment. I will continue to stay on top of this next week.

Rangers prospect suspended and more news

Adam Edstrom is an absolute monster of a man. The 2019, 6th round selection by the Rangers just got suspended for 5 games for this crushing hit.

The SHL opened the regular season and the Rangers three biggest Swedish prospects were in action. Nils Lundkvist continues to shine as he picked up an assist on the man-advantage.

Also, Lias Andersson and Karl Henriksson went head to head yesterday and both played well.

We will have another update later today as Vitali Kravtsov plays for Traktor in the KHL.

Latest NHL news

Head on over to The Daily Goal Horn and catch up on last night’s action and the latest on the Alex Pietrangelo situation.

Here are the latest rumblings around Rangerstown.

Jeff Gorton

The Rangers GM spoke to John Giannone of MSG Networks last night and here is what he had to say.

• On this year’s July 1 being different than previous years: “We have a plan in place and if you saw development camp you saw how many young players we had and we are trying to develop these guys the right way and give them [the] opportunity. Based on what was out there and some of the opportunities we felt it was better to stay with our young guys and keep moving forward.”
• On bringing in Fredrik Claesson: “he’s played less than 200 games, can skate, plays physical, can play both sides. We thought it was a good opportunity to add to our depth and see if he can make our team.”
• On Brendan Smith and his status in the organization: “One of the things we liked about him was his physicality, how he played in front of the net, his skating, how he played in that run we had two-years ago was why we signed him. We think that Brendan is doing all the right things in the summer to give himself a chance to get back into the top-six and contribute and be the player we know he can be. By all signs this summer has been good, he’s been in great shape, working hard. He just had a baby, I think that this will be a really important September for him and I think he knows it.”

You can watch the full interview below.

Erik Karlsson

A hot topic of conversation over the last few months has been Erik Karlsson and his status with the Senators. The Ottawa captain has a tenuous relationship with team owner Eugene Melnyk and there has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not he will be traded.

However, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello has learned that the Rangers are not going to be pursuing the two-time Norris trophy winner. Carpiniello explains that according to his sources, this move would go against the whole philosophy of the organization’s rebuild. In addition to Karlsson, Bobby Ryan is being rumored as a “tag along contract” and the Rangers are not willing to take on his $7.25 million AAV over each of the next four seasons.

Matt Martin

Former Islanders tough guy Matt Martin is on the trade block for Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it would behoove the Rangers to go after him. Martin was a thorn in the Rangers side when he was on the Island; and with a team that will be full of talented young guns, having a player like Martin on the team wouldn’t be a bad thing. Martin carries a cap hit of just $2.5 million AAV for the next two years, and according to Larry Brooks of the NY Post, it wouldn’t take a whole lot for the Rangers to acquire the 29-year-old forward. “The original thought was that the Maple Leafs would have to add a sweetener in the form of a draft pick in order to find a landing place for the 29-year-old who carries a $2.5 million cap hit for the next two seasons. But, no.”

Calvin de Haan

Speaking of the Islanders, defenseman Calvin de Haan has been rumored to be on the radar of Jeff Gorton and the Rangers.

Obviously, he didn’t sign with anyone yesterday, but de Haan would be a great addition to the Rangers, should they win the sweepstakes for his services. de Haan is still young at 27-years-old and is a good skater with plenty of defensive zone ability. Should Jeff Gorton be able to land de Haan, the Rangers defensive corps would get a serious boost heading into next season.

The Rangers rumor mill is still running at high speed despite the lack of actual movement. Here’s the latest from around the web.

Rangers Looking at ex-Islander UFAs

Larry Brooks is suggesting that the Rangers will likely look into speedy winger Michael Grabner who played last year with the Leafs. The ex-Islander is a PK specialist but could be too costly. Grabner is coming off a contract that had a 3M AAV on the cap. The 28 year old is also coming off of some terrible seasons, so he could still come in at a bargain.

The Fourth Period also tweeted out the Rangers have spoken to Matt Martin.

Several teams reaching out to pending UFA Matt Martin. Rangers, Maple Leafs among teams with a level of interest.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 25, 2016

Cam Fowler to the Rangers

Dennis Bernstein who is an editor at the Fourth Period was asked where he believes Cam Fowler will land. Here are a series of tweets:

My guess is Rangers because they can send a left shot LW back. https://t.co/kEIYjJIRFw

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) June 26, 2016

When someone suggested Rick Nash, he shot it down because of the contract and indicated it will likely be Chris Kreider.

Nope. Ducks budget team and Nash Cash 8, 8.2 M next 2 seasons. Chris Kreider. https://t.co/W1cX771ksk

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) June 26, 2016

Rangers in running for Stamkos but Buffalo will offer most money

Dennis also gave his top Stamkos destinations on twitter:

Detroit Buffalo Montreal Toronto Rangers https://t.co/zirmZhIV2q

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) June 26, 2016

Ultimately when pressed he stated:

Pegula will not be outbid for Stamkos. Period. That is not the sole factor in the decision. https://t.co/BsOnwLtw6I

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) June 26, 2016