Roy Scratches Mayfield, Reilly & Dobson Practice; Trade Coming?

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Head Coach Patrick Roy sets the tone. After a bad defensive performance on Sunday night, he is scratching veteran defenseman Scott Mayfield tonight. Mayfield played just 10:36 against the Dallas Stars and will not play against the New York Rangers.

Mayfield Scratched?

Adam Boqvist takes his place in the lineup. Roy emphasized he had a conversation with Mayfield about the decision. He pointed to a lack of game time affecting Mayfield’s play before adding, “When he’s ready when the time comes, we’ll put him back in the lineup. I’m sure he’ll be ready.”

It’s the story of the day, to be quite honest. Mayfield, 32, has five more years left on his contract. He holds a full no-trade clause until July 1, 2027, when it shifts to a 16-team NTC.

Mayfield’s cap hit is $3.5 million per year. If the Islanders were to buy him out at season’s end, they would save $2.33 million on the cap every year until it expired. For 10 seasons, the Islanders would be charged a tiny $1.16 cap charge. There’s no indication it’s close to that stage, but it isn’t a great sign for Mayfield if Roy already prefers a youngster like Boqvist.

Defensive Lineup Thoughts:

Roy effusively praised Boqvist’s speed and puck mobility as reasons for playing him tonight. The Islanders now have a clear offensive and defensive defenseman in all three pairs. Here’s how it looked this morning:

Alexander Romanov – Anthony DeAngelo

Scott Perunovich – Ryan Pulock

Adam Pelech – Adam Boqvist

Extras: Noah Dobson, Scott Mayfield, Mike Reilly

It’s a fun-looking group. After practice, Roy confirmed Reilly is getting closer and closer before saying it’s a luxury to make these hard decisions, especially when there are nine defensemen now.

Reilly hasn’t played since November 1 due to a concussion and subsequent heart surgery. It remained unknown if he’d play again this season, but he looks to be very close. If he is ready, the Islanders have some hard decisions to make.

Noah Dobson, thought initially to be ready for tonight, will not play, barring a last-minute change. Dobson should play on Thursday in Boston, but that remains to be seen.

Trade Coming?

With all that discussion, it brings us here. It sure seems like there’s going to be a trade coming out from this group. It’s nine bonafide NHL defensemen. Sure, Reilly could and probably will be put in Bridgeport for a temporary conditioning stint, but that’s a temporary solution.

The Islanders will make a trade involving their defensive corps in the next 10 days. Depending on game results, who could be sent out will vary. There’d been some whispers about Dobson’s availability for an elite forward like Elias Pettersson, but those talks have died off.

It’s become very possible the Islanders may ask Mayfield to waive his NTC to head somewhere else. While his cap hit is $3.5, with the expanding cap, that is not a lot. They may not get much in return, but teams usually go crazy for big-bodied right-shot defensemen with playoff experience.

There’s also the possibility of flipping DeAngelo to a contender for a draft pick. DeAngelo has played very well offensively, while his defensive play has been inconsistent. He’s averaged 24 minutes on ice a game, something very attractive to contenders. I believe the Islanders could fetch at least a third-round pick for the defenseman, something I would explore immediately.

What’s certain is the Islanders will not continue to carry nine defensemen. What’s more, they won’t waive a single one of them either. They all hold value, and the Islanders really like Boqvist’s potential.

Things could get very interesting very quickly for the Islanders’ defense.