The New York Islanders have had their fair share of enforcers throughout their history.
However, it’s a dying breed in the sport, a league now based on speed and skill more than physicality–at least in the regular season.
Matt Martin has been the Islanders’ go-to enforcer since making it to the NHL in 2009, minus the two forgettable seasons he played in Toronto.
However, as of now, Martin is not back with the Islanders, as the 35-year-old is an unrestricted free agent.
The Islanders are over the salary cap by $950,000 after Oliver Wahlstrom signed a one-year deal worth $1 million.
If Martin isn’t back, the Islanders could be entering 2024-25 without an enforcer-esque player on their roster.
How much of an issue is this?
Related: Top Five New York Islanders Enforcers
Fighting isn’t as prolific an art as it once was, and the instigator penalty has undoubtedly impacted the number of times gloves hit the ice.
The Islanders dropped the gloves 13 times last season after 17 in 2022-23.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a need for someone on the roster to protect the team’s stars.
We saw last season that Bo Horvat has no issues dropping the gloves, standing up for Mathew Barzal after Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit laid a hard hit on him:
If you recall, this was the day when head coach Patrick Roy gave us this stellar quote about the Islanders’ top-line center:
“That’s who he is. He’s a leader on this team. A leader always takes care of their teammates. In life, you can be an eagle or a duck. He was an eagle there.”
Related: Islanders Horvat Stands Up For Barzal: ‘In Life, You Could Be An Eagle Or A Duck’
Scott Mayfield also isn’t afraid to throw ’em down, stepping in to relieve Horvat after Los Angeles Kings defenseman Andreas Englund hit Barzal, who had his head down:
#Isles Bo Horvat was ready to fight after Mathew Barzal got crushed before Scott Mayfield stepped in.
“Just shows what kind of locker room we are. So I appreciate it. It means a lot to me and to the guys on the bench, too.” pic.twitter.com/Gs6heis8H2
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) December 10, 2023
Seeing teammates step up is really important.
However, given Horvat’s importance to their 5-on-5 offense and both special teams, the Islanders likely would rather not see it.
Mayfield is coming off a broken ankle that forced him out of the lineup for 41 games last season.
Although not the key to their success in 2024-25, having Mayfield back healthy to eat minutes and help the penalty kill bounce back is critical, and doing extracurricular things on the ice isn’t ideal.
Rookie Kyle MacLean fought twice last season, once during the regular season and again in the postseason, but he isn’t the fighting type.
The same can be said for Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who fought Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher in retaliation for his headshot on Adam Pelech when the two teams met at the Bell Centre earlier in the season.
Related: Islanders Pageau Fights Gallagher, Stands Up For Pelech: ‘JG’s An Unbelievable Teammate’
The good news is that the Islanders have players that will hold opponents accountable.
That accountability was missing from the Islanders a few years ago, as players would take hard hits, leading to injuries, without repercussions.
Roy, who is all about the family environment — much different than a country club environment — won’t tolerate a passive approach to being a stand-up teammate.
But, it will be a unique situation, not having No. 17 on the ice, as of now, to be the go-to glove-dropper.
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