Signing a five-year contract extension in January, New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is here to stay after his first full NHL season.
Scott Mayfield has been up and down with the New York Islanders and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers the past few seasons. This season, he finally found a permanent spot on the Islanders’ roster.
Drafted as the Islanders second-round selection (34th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Mayfield has played in 223 AHL games over parts of five seasons, scoring 12 goals and 50 points.
Prior to this past campaign, Mayfield had never played more than 25 NHL games in a season.
During the 2016-17 season, Mayfield played in 25 but before that, he played in six during the 2015-16 season, two playoff games in 2015, and five games towards the end of the 2013-14 season.
This season he played 47 and he would’ve played more if he didn’t injure his left ankle in a Feb. 5 contest against the Nashville Predators.
The injury sidelined him for 22 games and once healthy again, the 25-year-old played in four of the final six games to conclude the 2017-18 season.
In the 47 games he played in, Mayfield scored two goals and 12 points. Despite playing in just over half the season, Mayfield still finished sixth on the team in blocked shots with 73. His 1.6 shots blocked per game is tied for fourth on the team.
Mayfield threw 77 hits, fifth-most amongst defensemen on the team.
His best game of the season came on Nov. 5 in a 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche as he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist, and a fight).
Mayfield opened the scoring with a tough-angle shot that banked off Colorado goaltender Jonathan Bernier and in for his second goal of the season.
In the third period, Mayfield picked up the secondary assist on Jordan Eberle’s second goal of the game, sending a pass across the ice to Mathew Barzal and watching the Barzal-Eberle connection work its magic to give the Isles a 6-2 lead.
Mayfield completed the Gordie Howe hat trick minutes later, taking a big hit from defenseman Nikita Zadorov and then getting up and dropping the gloves with him.
On Jan. 4, the Islanders signed Mayfield, who was a pending restricted free agent, to a five-year contract extension worth $7.25 million (1.45 million AAV). The contract will kick in next season (2018-19).
Mayfield’s role for next season is unknown for now. Calvin de Haan (before his season-ending injury in December) and Thomas Hickey were both regulars in the lineup but both are scheduled to hit free agency if new deals are not reached by July 1. Brandon Davidson and Ryan Pulock were also regulars and they are pending restricted free agents as is top defensive prospect, Devon Toews.
The Islanders also own picks number 11 and 12 in this year’s draft and perhaps one or two could be moved to improve the team’s defense that allowed the most goals in the NHL this past season and held the worst penalty-kill percentage.
