It will no longer be an identity line.
But the Islanders want their fourth line to fill the same role that the longtime trio of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck has played, though it will likely only include one of those three.
Clutterbuck is not participating in camp as he is an unsigned free agent.
Martin, who made his preseason debut Tuesday night at the Garden against the Islanders and Rangers, is here but faces an uphill climb to earn a spot on a professional tryout contract.
Come on, Kyle McLean, stand up.
“Honestly, we're not sure yet who's going to be on the fourth line,” Isles coach Patrick Roy said before Tuesday's preseason game against the Rangers, “but whoever goes in, those guys might play a different kind of game, but they're going to be in key roles for us. I have no doubt about that.”
Regardless of Roy's reluctance to share his thoughts on the lineup, it looks like McLean will get his first opportunity to play as a fourth-line centre after his strong final stretch of last season, with Cizikas likely to man the wing.
The Islanders didn't line up that way against the Rangers — Cizikas instead chose Martin and Hudson Farsing at center and McLean skated between Pierre Engvall and Eetu Liukas — but Cizikas said before the game that he'd be comfortable playing either center or wing once the regular season begins.
For now, at least, that seems like his likely destination once the roster is solidified.
“I like their speed,” Roy said of the potential pairing of Cizikas and McLean, “I like their energy. I like the fact that they're 200-foot guys. Casey's a guy with a lot of experience. He knows the game and he's smart. He plays with intensity. Same with McLean. I'm happy I can rely on them now.”
It remains to be determined who will fill the fourth line in the opening game, but two of the candidates played in Tuesday's game.
If Martin is named in the Opening Day lineup, it will almost certainly be in that role, given that he has played that role for nearly his entire career with the Islanders.
However, unless he is injured, it will be difficult to include him in the team.
So now we move on to the topic of fascism.
Fasching was unable to secure a consistent role last season, in part because he was barred from permanently staying on the fourth line, where he was most productive, in 2022-23.
His linear game and speed would theoretically round out a line with McLean and Cizikas.
“He's smart,” Cizikas said of Fasching. “He protects the puck well, he plays well down low. He's another guy who's done everything the coaching staff has asked of him. That's the biggest thing you can do in this league: play your style, play the right way and show them what your game is. I thought he's done a really great job of that.”
A third option could be Oliver Wahlstrom, who surprisingly re-signed after a disappointing 2023-24 season and is competing for a roster spot in camp.
Simon Holmstrom, who started on the second line in camp with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, could also be an option, but that seems unlikely.
Both players appeared in Sunday's game against the Devils but did not play Tuesday night.
“This summer was the first time I trained like an athlete, which was great,” Wahlstrom told The Post last week, referring to the training he missed a year ago because of a knee injury. “I got to work on a lot of the things I wasn't able to do last summer, which was really good.”
Wahlstrom wouldn't say whether he plans to play for the Islanders this season, saying only that it's between him and Lou Lamoriello, but he acknowledged he needs to use this camp to prove he's still a part of the Islanders.
“I think if I just focus more on every night, every shift,” Wahlstrom said, “I know if I focus more on every night, every shift, things will open up.”
