Islanders' Matt Martin, 'ultimate team guy,' handles being a healthy scratch

RALEIGH, N.C. — Matt Martin believes he “absolutely” could play if asked as he recovers from an upper-body injury that has landed him on injured reserve twice since he last dressed for a game on Nov. 15.

But Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said the team knew all along that the heart-and-soul fourth-liner wouldn’t be 100% healthy until after the NHL’s three-day Christmas break, which starts on Sunday.

Martin was out of the lineup for the 18th straight time as the Islanders concluded a two-game road trip against the Hurricanes on Saturday night at PNC Arena after being activated off IR before Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss in Washington.

“Some things I still feel it,” Martin said. “But it feels strong now and I’ll continue to get stronger. I feel pretty good.”

A bigger question than Martin’s availability, though, is whether he’ll be reinserted into the lineup with Hudson Fasching playing well in Martin’s usual spot on Casey Cizikas’ left wing along with Cal Clutterbuck.

“Fasch has played great,” Martin said. “Those are things I don’t really have control over or really think about. In my younger days, I’d probably be a little more frustrated by that. Lineup decisions aren’t my job. All I can do is prepare my best to play.”

Martin initially was on IR for a five-game stretch before being activated for the first time on Nov. 28. He was placed back on IR on Dec. 12, retroactive to Dec. 2, after the Islanders reported that he aggravated the injury while participating in the morning skate before the Islanders’ 4-3 win in Florida on Dec. 2.

Lamoriello and coach Lane Lambert pushed back against any suggestion that Martin’s absence has been anything but injury-related.

“He’s been injured,” Lamoriello said. “I think it’s unfair to say that because when we did activate him the last time, it was only because we had some sickness and we thought we might have had to play [him] and maybe wouldn’t have been able to do the things that he could do. Once we felt we were healthy, he went on the inactive. We knew it would take until after the Christmas break for him to be 100% healthy.

“So when he’s 100% healthy, then we’ll have to have these types of conversations, if there are conversations to be had.”

Martin, 34, is in the last season of a four-year, $6 million deal. Lamoriello also signed him to his previous contract, a four-year, $10 million deal with Toronto when he was the Maple Leafs’ GM. Lamoriello then made acquiring Martin his first trade after becoming the Islanders’ boss in 2018.

“He was hurt,” Lambert said when asked if Martin needs to re-earn his spot in the lineup. “So now that he’s off IR, we’ll see where it goes. How has he handled it? Like he handles everything else. He’s a complete professional. He knows his role. He always has. He’s the ultimate team guy.”

Martin has one goal and one assist in 14 games this season and is averaging a team-low 8:26 of ice time. He’ll likely play his fewest games since his second and final season with the Maple Leafs, when he dressed only 50 times, with coach Mike Babcock making him a frequent healthy scratch.

“I’ve been through a lot of these things, whether it be injuries or Babcock in Toronto, being healthy-scratched basically half the year,” Martin said. “I’ve overcome these things in the past. I have confidence in myself and the way I’ve handled those things before. In terms of injury, you just try to come to work every day and get better.”

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.