The Islanders, in theory, have options for their bottom six. Oliver Wahlstrom, Hudson Fasching, Simon Holmstrom, Julien Gauthier, Ross Johnston, Arnaud Durandeau and William Dufour are among the wings who could be competing for four different spots.
In reality, though, they will be battling for spots on the third line, because coach Lane Lambert doesn’t have much interest in playing around with the fourth line.
That is where Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck have made their domain, and it is where they will stay.
“I don’t think there’s a whole bunch of experimenting to do with that line,” Lambert said Friday. “I think we know what they bring.”
Aside from Martin’s two-year interlude with the Maple Leafs, the so-called Identity Line has been together pretty much since 2013-14, when Clutterbuck came to Long Island in a trade that sent Nino Niederreiter to Minnesota.
Though they play on the fourth line, Martin, Cizikas and Clutterbuck rank among the most famous trios in franchise history — in part due to the longevity of the line and in part due to its effectiveness.
Even though the line’s play has started to wane in recent years, there has not been much consideration to breaking up the three, and the Identity Line still commands considerable respect from opposing players and coaches.
This season, though, might be the Identity Line’s last ride.
Cizikas, at 32, the youngest of the three, is under contract through 2027 and not going anywhere.
But Clutterbuck, 35, and Martin, 34, both have deals expiring this offseason.
Clutterbuck also dealt with injuries in each of the past two seasons.
It’s too early to say, or even make a serious guess, as to what will happen next summer.
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But the possibility of something changing is distinct in a way it hasn’t been before.
“That’s a funny one,” Cizikas told The Post. “It’s hard to say ’cause that’s the way careers pan out. But both those guys, we’ve been together for a long time. We’ve created a friendship that will last a lifetime.”
Martin, who is on his fourth NHL contract, has spent enough time in similar situations to put it out of his mind — especially as early as training camp. But he’s not naive.
“Obviously, we’re closer to the end than we are the beginning,” he told The Post. “We know that.”
Even if all three of them retired tomorrow, their longevity would be impressive.
Line combinations rarely stay intact for the better part of a season in the NHL, let alone a fourth line sticking together for the better part of eight seasons, under three different head coaches and two different general managers.
Martin, who played 81 games last season and equaled his career-high point total, has done a fine job fending off age.
Clutterbuck less so, though he said last season that his body is in a good place despite the recent injuries.
“Obviously, they’re two of my closest friends, I always enjoy playing with them,” Martin said. “And we, obviously, would like to play with each other as long as possible.”
There will be myriad chances for the three to prove in 2023-24 that they should be together again in 2024-25. The goal, as always, is to bring Lord Stanley’s Cup back to the Hempstead Turnpike.
“I think when it’s all said and done and we’re older, we’re sitting in one of our backyards, going over the good times, going over what we achieved here, I think we can all sit down and tell each other that we’re proud of what we accomplished,” Cizikas said. “Obviously, saying that, we have one more goal and one more thing to do. For us, that’s to win a Stanley Cup. We’re gonna do whatever we can to do that.”
