TORONTO – Of all the players in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup, Matt Martin is often the source of the most debate. There are plenty who do not see a need for a player who offers little in the way of offense and is more widely known for what he can do without his gloves on. He played all 82 games last season, his first with the Toronto Maple Leafs but it does not seem like that is expected to change anytime soon.

Truth is, the team sees great value in what Martin brings. Ask any of the team’s young players about him and you don’t just get the normal platitudes of “good guy” or “works hard”, you get terms like “father-figure”, “genuine friend” and a guy who is a big part of making everybody feel comfortable, both on the ice and in the locker room. It’s not something that a statistical value can be placed on but in the living, breathing ecosystem of a locker room over the course of six or more months, what Martin offers is critical.

If you want to put coach Mike Babcock in a bad mood, start questioning the need for Martin in the lineup.

“He keeps the flies off," offered Babcock. "You want your players to play, you don’t want your players to be thinking and so those guys (like Martin) are here to do a job and the job is important."

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But does the need for that type of role diminish now that the team’s core of young players like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitchell Marner and others have a full year of experience under their belts?

“Not for me, it’s still there,” said Babcock.

Martin, 28, a veteran of 520 NHL games, is aware of the criticism he takes among parts of the fan base who feel his spot on the fourth line would be better filled by a more offensively gifted player. So he’s quick to point out that he appreciates when the coach aims to quiet that talk. Remember when Babcock said during his introductory press conference in May of 2015 that the Leafs needed to create a “safe environment” for the players?

“It’s definitely appreciated when he shuts that kind of stuff down,” said Martin. “We are in a market where media can run a bit wild, but I think he (Babcock) does a good job of sheltering his players and letting us focus on hockey and keeping the outside noise down. He’s very vocal with me and what he expects of me on a day to day basis. That family atmosphere comes from management down.”

Auston Matthews, 20, seemed comfortable from day one last season, exploding for four goals in his debut against the Ottawa Senators. A large part of that, Matthews explained, was how welcomed the contingent of rookies was made to feel and how Martin was at the forefront of that effort.

“I think a lot of times older veteran guys get the rap for being hard on young guys but it was definitely the complete opposite with him,” said Matthews. “He’ll joke around, but it’s never to the extent where he’s purposefully trying to make you feel bad, he’s definitely not that type of guy. He loves to joke around and keep things light.”

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Late in the season, Kasperi Kapanen, 21, got the call up after spending the majority of the season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. He ended up making a big impact, scoring the game-tying goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins which led to a win that clinched a playoff spot. In the playoffs, he added two more goals including an overtime-winning goal, assisted by Martin, in game two against the Washington Capitals. Kapanen admitted to being somewhat nervous joining the group at the end of March, but that Martin went out of his way to make sure he felt like he belonged.

“We’re eating meals and he’s joking around and talking a lot,"Kapanen explained. "Just to communicate with the younger guys, that’s what we want, we want the older guys to know that we respect them and Marty’s been a phenomenal guy in making everybody comfortable. You’re a little bit nervous coming in and then once you get a guy like Marty come up to you, joke around with you and ask you how you’ve been, it really eases up the tension. Other older guys see that and then they come up and talk to you too.”

Connor Brown, 23, owner of arguably the quietest 20-goal season for a rookie in Maple Leafs history, said Martin may not even be aware of just how big an impact he had on the young group.

“He’s a genuine friend of the guys on the team, I think he relates to a lot of the younger guys,” said Brown. “He’s just a good guy, he is doing a big service to our group, but I don’t even know if he notices he’s doing it. He’s just offering a friendship and that goes a long way for a guy coming into an NHL club.”

Added Connor Carrick, 23, who himself was in his first full season with the Maple Leafs last year, “I love Marty, personally I’m a huge fan of his on and off the ice. I just think he’s a stellar person and a very strong player for us.”

If you still don’t get it, think of yourself when you start a new job. You’re trying to figure out how things work, trying not to get in anybody’s way and most of all, trying not to make any mistakes. When some co-workers approach you, welcome you and make you feel a part of the group, doesn’t that make a night and day difference? You perform better when you are at ease. It’s no different in an NHL locker room for a rookie coming into the equation. If anything, in the hyper-charged environment of professional sports, it’s even more daunting.

“He meant a lot, he was kind of a fatherly figure on the road and in this dressing room, he was a lot of help,” said Mitch Marner, 20, when asked what Martin’s presence meant to him. “He’s a great guy to have around constantly and talk to and I was lucky enough to have him on my team. Hopefully he’s going to be here for a long time with me.”

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So where does that welcoming ability, really a beautiful personality trait – and one that should be in far greater supply in all walks of life - come from for Martin?

“It comes from my mom to be honest with you," said Martin. "She likes to talk to everybody so I feel like I’m kind of the same way where if I’m not talking to somebody I’m a little lonely and bored so when a new guy comes up, I just love to go over and shoot the crap with them a little bit. I think it’s important to make guys feel comfortable.

That #FridayFeeling when you get to spend the day at #MMHA! 😁😁😁 pic.twitter.com/REXg4DNgW5 — Matt Martin Fdn (@MattMartinFdn) June 30, 2017

"On a day to day basis, we’re all going to have tough days, we’re all going to have stretches that aren’t easy and I think we have a great group in here that recognizes that and knows when guys are going through tough times. The nice thing about coming in this locker room is every time you step in you can leave your outside life outside. Whether you’re getting torched by the media or troubles at home or whatever it is, you come in the room and things get a little easier. Guys are joking and having a good time. We always stress a family atmosphere in the room and I think we have that.”

That “safe environment” again. Management buys into the importance of having a harmonious atmosphere and Martin is a big part of that. After Babcock’s first season in Toronto, the coach remarked he felt the team got pushed around too often. It was a big reason why the Maple Leafs signed Martin as a free agent in the summer of 2016. Now in the second year of a four-year $10 million contract, the Windsor, Ontario native is determined to offer more on the ice than just the ability to protect his teammates.

“Absolutely, I think I need to offer more. We want to be more offensive as a line,” said Martin, who had nine points (five goals, four assists) while appearing in all 82 games last season. “There were times last year where things got frustrating for me but you wake up the next morning, the sun comes up and you get back to work.”

Martin admitted that it took some time for him to adapt to a new way of doing things with the Maple Leafs after previously having spent his entire career with the New York Islanders. For instance, with the Islanders, most morning skates were optional whereas in Toronto, the Maple Leafs rarely took morning skates off.

In his final season in New York, Martin played consistently on a line with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck and the trio were acknowledged around the game as one of the best fourth lines in the NHL. That season, he scored a career high 10 goals and 19 points while amassing 119 penalty minutes.

“Getting a year of understanding how everything is run around here, how practices are run, morning skates every game, it gives you a better understanding of what you have to do on a day to day basis to better prepare yourself for games,” said Martin. “Hopefully with that knowledge of last season I can have even more of an impact this year.”

Martin did not have the luxury of such consistency on his line in his first year with the Maple Leafs. The fourth line was a work in progress with Martin being the only constant. Bryon Froese, Peter Holland, Frederik Gauthier, Ben Smith, Seth Griffith, Connor Brown, Josh Leivo, Nikita Soshnikov and Eric Fehr all spent time on Martin’s line. By the time it finally settled with Brian Boyle and Kapanen, the fourth line became an asset down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Kapanen said Martin’s presence on the ice led him and the rest of the team’s elite young players to play free of concern.

“Even though he may not play with Matthews and his line, it doesn’t mean that if somebody does something to Willie (Nylander) or Matty (Matthews), Marty’s going to be out there at some point with them and he’s going to let them know,” said Kapanen. “Guys know if they start messing around with our best guys, Marty’s going to come after them and you don’t want that so it’s for sure something every team needs, a guy like that.”