TORONTO — The influence that Matt Martin had on his teammates during his six seasons as a member of the New York Islanders has not been forgotten.

Martin’s willingness to take the Maple Leafs rookies under his wing, most notably Mitch Marner, has been well-documented. While Martin isn’t exactly coming close to filing retirement papers — he will be 28 in May — he had a similar impact on Casey Cizikas on the Island.

Along with Cal Clutterbuck, the two formed a bruising, never-quit fourth line for the Islanders, a trio that had respect across the National Hockey League.

“His work ethic on and off the ice — he is a machine,” Cizikas said of Martin. “When we (trained) together, he was always pushing it to the limit and I was always trying to keep up. It translated on to the ice. Our friendship was the main reason for our chemistry out there.”

Martin often has spoken about the high regard in which he holds Isles captain John Tavares. It’s a two-way street.

“You just know he is not an easy guy to mess with,” Tavares said. “He’s a great guy and (brings) more than just a physical element. His game has developed and he has found a way to contribute.”

MOURNING SKATE

With some current debate regarding whether morning skates serve much of a purpose, Leafs coach Mike Babcock raised some eyebrows when he cancelled his team’s skate on Tuesday.

It has happened previously, but only if the Leafs played the night before.

Babcock corrected a reporter who asked why it was an optional skate.

“This one was not optional,” Babcock said. “Why didn’t we skate? Because I liked our practice (on Monday). I thought we worked hard, I thought we were ready.”

Does the skate on game day still have some use?

“I think it all depends on your team,” Babcock said. “We have a bunch of young guys and we thought we were doing a really good job of getting ready every night. We have not been quite as good here as of late.”

HIGH PRAISE

Tavares looks past the obvious statistics when he considers what Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have brought to the Leafs.

“It’s not just producing, but the way they play the whole game,” Tavares said. “They are always doing a lot of good things without the puck. Matthews really controls the centre of the ice and a lot of things go through him, he just has a great hockey sense and awareness about him, tremendous release.

“Marner has a tremendous skill set, (with) how good he is on his edges and creating plays all over the ice. They have been impressive and (there is) no question why (the Leafs) are in the spot they are in now.”

LOOSE LEAFS

Tavares shared an idea, one that has been discussed within the NHL Players’ Association, regarding the usage of extended breaks, or bye weeks, in future seasons. “I would like to see half the league go into the all-star break shut down and the other half come out of it shut down,” Tavares said. “Then you have one longer break. Guys who go to the all-star game still get their break, they get to go enjoy being an all-star and represent the league, and they come out of it and still get a little bit of time to decompress from that travel and everything that goes on with it. I don’t think we are ever going to complain about (the bye) because I think the rest is key, but at the same time I think there is definitely good ways we can tweak it and make it as fair as possible.” … Babcock barely glanced at the NHL standings last season, when the Leafs eventually finished 30th. Now, in the midst of a playoff race? “I know what they are daily,” Babcock said. “I didn’t pay much attention to them last year. This year you pay more attention because you have more opportunity.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com