The door is not closed for longtime Islanders Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin to return to a locker room where they are viewed as consummate leaders.
But general manager Lou Lamoriello acknowledged in a conversation with The Washington Post on Friday that the margin appears to be razor-thin.
“We’re probably going to move forward,” Lamoriello told the Post. “I’m not saying things won’t change. We’re talking about two veterans, two quality personnel, two team leaders and two really good hockey players. So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. But our mindset hasn’t changed from the last time we spoke to them today.”
When Lamoriello last spoke to reporters at the draft in Las Vegas, he didn’t seem optimistic about the two staying.
But those were stronger words than he spoke then or after the Islanders were eliminated from the playoffs.
The loss of the two fourth-stringers will be the biggest blow to the Islanders, but a month into training camp, the team’s makeup will enter next season with a noticeably different feel.
The Islanders looked to bolster their forward line, acquiring Anthony Duclair on the first day of free agency and signing Russian winger Maxim Tsyplakov from the KHL.
“[Duclair] “He’s got speed and he’s got a knack for scoring,” Lamoriello said. “He’s very competitive and he’s played at a high level and he knows what the playoffs are about. And I think on top of all that, he’s got great integrity. I had the opportunity to spend a full day with him and I was totally impressed.”
A common criticism of the Islanders is that they remain static, but their forward line has undergone significant change over the past 19 months.
That process hasn’t been immediate, but since January 2023, the Isles have added Beau Holbert, Pierre Engvall, Duclair and Tsyplakov, as well as Kyle MacLean, who was transferred from the AHL.
Similarly, two players once considered key players in the team – Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey – are also gone, with Martin and Clutterbuck also expected to leave.
At the start of the offseason, it seemed almost certain that Oliver Wahlstrom would join the departure list.
But after signing a one-year, $1 million contract as a restricted free agent – making him tradeable – Lamoriello suggested the former first-round draft pick will be given every opportunity to make the team in training camp.
“Right now, I don’t have a crystal ball to tell me what’s going to happen or what’s not going to happen,” Lamoriello said. “He’s prepared to come here and we’re prepared to have him here right now unless something changes before training camp.”
However, the biggest change from a year ago isn’t the lineup, but who’s on the bench.
Patrick Roy, who took over mid-season and led the Islanders to the playoffs with a 20-12 record and five ties, will have his first opportunity to run training camp.
“It’s a big difference having a full season and a full training camp,” Lamoriello said, “especially having the knowledge, whether it’s limited or not, of what a guy can and can’t do. And some guys adapt longer term than some guys do short term, so it’s going to be a surprise for him. It’s definitely a big advantage to be able to go to a full training camp with the team.”
Training camp intrigue aside, the next big order of business for the Islanders appears to be regarding potential contract extensions for Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov, Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, who become eligible to re-sign on July 1.
Dobson and Romanov are eligible to become restricted free agents after this season, while Nelson and Palmieri will become unrestricted free agents if they don’t sign.
The Islanders have signed key players to extensions early on in recent years, including Mathew Barzal, Ilya Sorokin and Holbert, but Lamoriello noted that wasn’t necessarily the case during his tenure and declined to provide details about the four.
“We acquired players during last season. [contract] “Last year and since last year,” he said, adding that Adam Pelec, Anders Lee, Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock all fall into that category. “There’s no hard evidence. I’m not saying something won’t happen. I’m not saying something will happen.”
