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Islanders keep stockpiling fourth-liners, reacquire Matt Martin from Leafs

St. Louis Blues v Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO,ON - JANUARY 16: Matt Martin #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates during the warm-up prior to playing against the St.Louis Blues in an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on January 16, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blues defeated the Maple Leafs 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Gety Images)

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Deep inside the smoldering crater that used to be the New York Islanders organization sits hockey man Lou Lamoriello, no doubt tirelessly working to try and make his new team competitive in the wake of franchise player John Tavares bolting for the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency two days ago.

The plan, such as it is, seems to revolve around acquiring every fourth-line player in existence.

It continued on Tuesday when the Islanders announced that they have acquired Matt Martin from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goaltender Eamon McAdam.

Martin spent the first seven years of his career with the Islanders where he was a physical presence on their fourth-line before signing a four-year, $10 million contract in free agency with the Maple Leafs. He still has two years remaining on that deal and the Maple Leafs, suddenly rich in offensive talent, were no doubt happy to shed that salary as they will need every available dollar under the cap next season when Auston Matthews and William Nylander will be making piles of cash. That is the benefit for the Maple Leafs. Shedding salary.

As for the Islanders ... well ... it continues what has no doubt been a bleak offseason for their fanbase.

After losing Tavares to the Maple Leafs, the Islanders have responded by re-acquiring Martin, signing Leo Komarov away from Toronto on a four-year, $12 million contract, signing Tom Kuhnhackl to a one-year deal, and signing Valtteri Filppula to a one-year contract (complete with a no-trade clause, because of course).

If we are looking at things objectively, none of these players are going to move the needle in New York or do anything to improve a roster that just lost its best player and has not made the playoffs in two years. What makes it all even more baffling is the Islanders already have a bunch of players on the roster just like these guys in Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck.

Between Martin, Komarov, Cizikas, and Clutterbuck the Islanders are no doubt going to bring a lot of physicality to the rink every night. But when it comes to doing the things that lead to scoring goals, preventing goals and winning hockey games it is tough to see what these moves bring.

Maybe they will reunite the old fourth line of Cizikas, Martin, and Clutterbuck that everyone on the Island loved a couple of years ago. As far as fourth lines go it was okay, but nothing really special. And nobody builds their team from the fourth-line out. Especially when the rest of your bottom six might have the likes of Kuhnhackl, Filppula, and Komarov on it ... which is for all intents and purposes another fourth line.

That group of players is going to count close to $16 million against the salary cap this season, and that doesn’t take into account the $5 million that Andrew Ladd -- 60 points in 151 games over two years with the Islanders Andrew Ladd -- will make.

In a vacuum and on their own any one of these moves is fine, I guess. They are not earth-shattering deals or anything that is going to submarine the franchise. But all of them? Together? In conjunction with losing Tavares?

Man.

Even with a young player as exciting as Mathew Barzal these are still dark times for the Islanders.

Related

John Tavares signs with Maple Leafs
What’s next for Islanders with Tavares out

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.