Islanders’ Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck have no interest in retiring as summer of free agency approaches

Cal Clutterbuck (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck spent the majority of the last 11 years together on the New York Islanders’ fourth line. 

Now they head into the offseason as unrestricted free agents and neither veteran winger has any intention of retiring.

“The retirement narrative was certainly not something I started,” Martin joked. I plan to play next year… my future is unknown at the moment, but that’ll sort itself out.”

Turning 35 years old on Wednesday, Martin has already gone through this once. He departed New York in 2016 to join the Toronto Maple Leafs before returning two years later. The bruising forward appeared in just 57 games this season and missed the final two games of the Islanders’ first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes with a lower-body injury that will need an MRI this week. 

It was the first time he missed a postseason game after appearing in 82 straight for the Islanders — the team’s active leader in playoff games played.

“I wasn’t planning on ending it anyway but … I hadn’t missed a playoff game prior to this year so it sucks watching and missing out,” Martin said. “But I’m certainly more motivated [for next year].”

Whether he calls the Islanders or elsewhere home remains to be seen, but Martin does not appear to be looking too far ahead into the offseason.

“I’m going to take things day by day,” Martin said. “I don’t look too far into the future. I just focus on what I need to do to be ready and the rest of it will sort itself out. Everyone knows how I feel about this place and my intention would be to play here. But I’ll have exit meetings and rest and everything will have time to sort itself out.”

Clutterbuck did not mince his words either in stating his desire to remain with the Islanders, though understood the nature of the business might not make that possible.

“I’d…