Scott Mayfield may be back in the Islanders’ lineup Tuesday night against the Predators, but that doesn’t mean the questions around his future are going away anytime soon.
The veteran defenseman’s status has become one of the more interesting moving pieces for the Islanders early this season. Mayfield has already been a healthy scratch nine times in the team’s first 11 games, including Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Stars that opened this three-game road trip. That has only fueled the recent trade talk around a player who has spent all 13 of his NHL seasons with the Islanders.
Mayfield, now 34, is in the fourth year of a seven-year, $24.5 million contract. The deal includes a no-trade clause through the end of this season, followed by a modified no-trade clause for the final three years. That contract, along with the way the Islanders have used him, makes the situation complicated.
“Obviously, I want to be in there, I want to play but none of it (the trade speculation) is out of my mouth,” Mayfield told Newsday after Monday’s practice at Bridgestone Arena in which DeBoer rotated all seven of his defensemen without specifying which six would dress against the Predators.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s out of their mouth either in terms of the front office. That’s part of the business.
And maybe there is talk somewhere. Maybe they did talk to someone.
I have no idea. I can’t control it.
I focus on what I can.”
For now, the Islanders’ decision seems rooted in fit as much as anything else. DeBoer has leaned toward a faster blue line, especially with veterans Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech and Logan Stanley dressing every game.
Mayfield’s value as a righthanded shot and a reliable third-pair option gives him some appeal, but the timing of a move matters. A trade now would only make sense if the Islanders could bring back a speedier defenseman who helps immediately, and that doesn’t appear simple given the remaining years on Mayfield’s contract.
There’s also the issue of depth. With Isaiah George and Laurel Hollow’s Marshall Warren both hurt for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton, Ontario, the organization doesn’t have an obvious internal answer waiting in the wings.
A deal closer to the March 1 trade deadline, especially to a contender looking for a righthanded shot, would make more sense if the Islanders eventually decide to move him.
“From my point, I signed a contract to play for the Islanders,” Mayfield said. “I’ve dedicated a lot to this team.
I want to see this through. And I want to be in the lineup, obviously.
There’s always competitiveness. There’s guys pushing for jobs.”
The lineup shuffle Tuesday comes after Sunday’s loss exposed some cracks. DeBoer had been using free agent signing Matt Kessel as the sixth defenseman after Alexander Romanov suffered a second straight season-ending injury, this one to his right knee, three games into the season. But the Stars repeatedly found room on odd-man rushes, forcing DeBoer to reconsider.
“I didn’t think we were physically invested in that game for whatever reason,” DeBoer said. “I think everything is on the table. It’s the first time we haven’t gotten points in five games so I think we’re going to look at everything lineup-based for [Tuesday].”
Even with that rough outing, the Islanders believe their defensive identity is still intact.
“I don’t think [Sunday] night, you lose confidence in that,” Pulock told Newsday. “We weren’t as sharp.
You’re going to have games like that. There’s no panic that we forgot how to play.”
Mayfield, if he gets back in, would bring a more physical edge than the Islanders have had from that spot. It could mean Kessel comes out, or it could mean Stanley does. There’s also the possibility Mayfield skates alongside Matthew Schaefer.
“There’s a pretty good sample size of how I play,” Mayfield said. “I try to play physical, hard in the corners, good in the net front.
I know how I need to play. It’s not reinventing the wheel.”
That familiarity may be part of the reason DeBoer has drifted away from him. The coach knows what Mayfield offers, and has clearly wanted a different look.
“If I was a younger play and not used to this necessarily, haven’t seen a lot of the NHL, I think there would probably be a different situation,” Mayfield said. “I understand the process.
I know what I need to do to stay ready. That’s my attitude and my thoughts going into every day.”
And Tuesday night may finally bring one answer.
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