Former Maple Leafs forward Matt Martin retires after 16 seasons, joins Islanders’ front office

Martin will be joining the New York Islanders’ front office as special assistant to general manager Mathieu Darche, the team announced in a press release.

The 35-year-old was originally selected by the Islanders in the fifth round (148th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft before making his NHL debut during the 2009-10 season. From the 2010-11 campaign onward, he became a mainstay in the top league and never suited up in the AHL beyond 2011 as it didn’t take long to make a name for himself as an effective bottom-six forward.

Considered to be a modern-day enforcer, Martin’s specialty was laying the body as he was usually in the upper echelon of the league in hits each season during his prime. He set the record for the most hits in a season in 2014-15 with 382, which stood for nearly a decade before Nashville Predators defenceman Jeremy Lauzon surpassed it in 2023-24. Martin’s truculence made him a key component of what became known as the “Identity Line” alongside Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas for all but two seasons from 2015 to 2024.

While he spent the majority of his career with the Islanders, Martin did spend two seasons donning the Blue and White during the early stages of the Auston Matthews era. He signed with the Leafs on July 1st, 2016, to a four-year contract with an AAV of $2.5 million, where he assumed the role of one of the team leaders and mentioning the young guns.

His presence to help protect his teammates was a factor in why the Leafs were able to clinch a spot in the 2017 Playoffs, where he chipped in two assists in six games before they fell to the Washington Capitals in the first round. Martin’s role and impact diminished in his second season as he was a healthy scratch for 18 straight games and did not suit up in any of their playoff games against the Boston Bruins in 2018.

In the subsequent offseason, Martin was nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy as a player who best exemplifies leadership qualities and made humanitarian contributions to the community. Later that summer, the Leafs opted to trade him back to the Islanders in exchange for goalie Eamon McAdam.

Martin ended up appearing in 987 regular-season games, where he posted 178 points (81 goals and 97 assists) while adding 13 points (eight goals and five assists) in 82 playoff games. He would finish with 3936 hits, the second most of any NHL player ever, behind only Clutterbuck (4029).