Sunday could have also been center Frans Nielsen's final game with New York; the longest-tenured Islander was drafted in 2002 and made his NHL debut five years later. He can become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
"I've always been proud of representing this organization," said Nielsen, who has played over 600 games with the Islanders. "There's a lot of time now in the summer and we'll see what happens. I haven't put a lot of thought into it lately, but I've always been proud to wear this jersey.
"For sure, it would be tough to leave these guys. A lot of people have meant a lot for me here and meant a lot for me developing into the player that I am today. It would be tough, but we'll see. It's kind of out of my control right now. I think I worked hard all year and tried to show the kind of player I am. Hopefully I did enough."
Left wing Matt Martin, who can become an unrestricted free agent, is a key component of the Islanders fourth line with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck. A fifth-round pick in 2008, Martin, who finds himself at or near the top of the hits category annually, will unquestionably receive interest across the League should he reach the open market.
"This was a lot of fun this year with this group of guys," Martin said. "I love this team, I love this group. Obviously, we wanted to go farther than this. It stings, it's hard. As for this offseason and everything beyond this point, I don't really know what the future holds. Right now, I just want to spend time with the guys and I guess try to get over this."