Will Scott Mayfield Be Back with the New York Islanders Next Season?

It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Today we'll discuss an interesting take on the Islanders coaching situation and future. Plus we take a look at Scott Mayfield season, the pros, the cons and will he be back in an Islanders uniform next year? All that and more on today's Lockdown Islanders podcast. ♪♪♪ Slides it out for Agilab. Back to Hoffman, locked by the Lockdown twice. Another spectacular stop. For Sartis, it often a save is made by Mabrovsky Nelson. Lars Elle with the Open Nettity scores! ♪♪♪ Hi and welcome to the Lockdown Islanders podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm your host, Gil Martin. I'm an Islanders columnist and historian and I wrote the book Ice Wars, which covers the complete history of the Islanders' rivalry with the Rangers from 1972 to the modern era. ♪♪♪ And welcome everybody to the Tuesday edition of the Lockdown Islanders podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. We want to thank everyone for making Lockdown Islanders your first listen every day and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast so you can get the latest episodes as they drop. You can also check us out on SiriusXM on the SXM app. Just search Islanders. So, we've got a lot to discuss today. If there's something Islanders related on your mind, if you have a comment or question, maybe a subject you'd like us to tackle in a future episode, feel free to email us at Lockdown Islanders at gmail.com and if you leave your first name and where you're from, we are happy to mention you on the show when we discuss whatever it is that's on your mind. You can also follow the show on Twitter at LockdownIsles and you can follow me, Gil Martin, on Twitter. I'm at Ice Wars, NYR, VSNYI. We'll keep you up to date on all the latest Islanders news, notes and happenings throughout a busy and important offseason, trade rumors, hiring, firing, free agency, the draft, you name it, we've got it covered for you on Lockdown Islanders. So, I wanted to open the show. But discussing a little something that was in the New York Post and look, we have been reading the Larry Brooks's column in the Post for a very, very long time. And Brooks basically was breaking down the Rangers and their coaching search and then he gets to the Islanders in his column. And he basically said, if the Rangers underachieved, if the Bruins underachieved, I don't think the Islanders did. Indeed, in achieving a bottom rung seed that was followed by a first round elimination by a superior team, the Islanders probably hit their ceiling. The roster does not have enough, have either the speed or talent to meaningfully compete in this NHL. It's grinding for 82 games has its limits. The Islanders reached those limits this year with a roster that included too many forwards, two years beyond their respective expiration dates, but with years still remaining on contract extensions. He adds that an entire year of Matt Barzal and Bohorvet could represent seeds of optimism, but only if the former Canucks captain who was dreadful in the playoffs approaches the level with which he played in Vancouver this year before he was traded. I think that essentially Larry Brooks is agreeing with what we've been saying here on the show for most of this season, that the only way the Islanders, you know, season would have been better as if they would have pulled off an upset or two in the playoffs. But you know, I remember getting a few comments on the show when we did our crossover episode with Jared Ellis of Lockdown Carolina Hurricanes, previewing the series. And I picked Carolina to win the series. I said it would go seven. Jared said it would go six and Carolina would win. He turned out to be right. But you know, some people were saying, hey, why aren't you picking the Islanders? Well, first of all, it wouldn't have shocked me if the Islanders won the series, especially with the injuries that the Hurricanes were dealing with. But I couldn't say that they were favored to win or expected to win the series. And to me, you know, the Islanders, the way this team is currently built and the system that they play and the way they have to play to win games, realistically speaking, they are not in a position unless they get outstanding gold tending in the playoffs and really find a way to pull off a couple of upsets. They don't have the talent that you need in a team with speed and skill that competes in the modern NHL. This team can be very good. They can win on any given night. They could beat any team, but they could also lose to any team and it would require a little bit of tweaking to really get this team younger, faster and more skilled. And you know, the thing that Larry Brooks said about the contracts right now really remains the biggest obstacle to this team. There are too many players on this Islanders roster who are getting paid more money than the production that they give you on the ice and doesn't allow enough salary cap space to go out and add an A-list type of player to get younger, faster and more skilled. When we talk yesterday when we reviewed Anders Lee's season, Lee earning, you know, has a cap hit of $7 million this year. Josh Bailey, cap hit of $5 million did not produce that way. J.G. Pajoe does a lot of things very well, useful player, but not productive enough at $5 million and he's going to have a $5 million cap hit for another three seasons. And you know, you can go down that line and see that this team has overpaid a lot of players who are on the wrong side of $30 and whose production is going to be heading down rather than up in the future. So realistically, changes are going to have to be made if this team is going to have to compete. Now, you've got Barzal, you've got Nelson, you've got Pelik, Pulak, Horvat and Sorokin. That is the core for a solid team and a competitive team. And you've got useful role players like Pajoe and you've got Hudson Fashing who is hard working and a solid bottom six guy. You've got Alexander Romano who still could get better. I mean, you know, under 25 years old for a defenseman, that's a big deal. But again, overall, need more skill and to get that skill because there are no big time goal scoring prospects in the system. And you don't have picks in the first round and third round of this year's draft. You're going to have to move some players out and do some juggling in order to get the cap space you need to get this team to get younger, faster and more skilled. And if you think about it, I admire loyalty. But I think Lula Amorello at times has been loyal to a fault to some of these players. And that is to me what tells me that it is unlikely that big changes will be coming if Lue stays as the Islanders GM. All right, we've got a lot more to discuss on the show. We will take a look at it as we continue our player by player evaluation of this team, Scott Mayfield. Did he live up to expectations this season? What does he do well? What can he do better? And will he be back next year? We've got all that and a lot more coming up on this episode of the locked on Islanders podcast. There is no I in team, but there is one in Indeed. And that's the hiring platform you need to build yours when you're hiring. You need Indeed. Indeed is the hiring platform where you can attract, interview and hire all in one place instead of spending hours on multiple jobs sites searching for candidates with the right skills. Indeed, it's a powerful hiring platform that can help you do it all with streamline hiring and powerful tools that help you find match candidates with instant match. Over 80% of employers get quality candidates whose resume on Indeed matches their job description the moment they sponsor a job according to Indeed data US. You can start hiring now and get a $75 sponsor job credit to upgrade your job post at Indeed.com slash locked on locked on one word offer good for a limited time claim your $75 credit now at Indeed.com slash locked on that's Indeed.com slash locked on terms and conditions apply need to hire you need Indeed. The following message was written by chat GPT. Get the inside scoop on everything NHL playoffs with locked on NHL. Join our expert hosts as they break down the latest news games and predictions. From the hottest players to the biggest upsets we've got you covered. Don't miss a beat this postseason locked on NHL. Available on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts locked on podcast network your team every day. So we continue our player by player review of this season and let's talk a little bit about Scott Mayfield. Mayfield you know usually a second or third pairing on your defense. He is a big guy six foot five 220 pounds and he is there primarily for what he does in his own zone. Mayfield is physical. He can help clear players out from in front of the net and he is you know the kind of guy who whatever he gives you offensively is essentially a bonus what he gives you defensively is important and you know you're not looking for flash. He's not going to be making those end to end rushes and dramatic plays but look he had 107 hits that is solid and then he led the team with 168 blocked shots this year and he was a plus eight which you know puts him in a pretty good spot on this team the only you know only what you had seven or eight players with better plus minuses and you know yet Ryan Pola cuts in fashion you know they were plus ten Sebastian ajo Cal clutter buck plus nine and then Mayfield you only had a handful of players who were substantially ahead of them and just to add to it mayfield can kill penalties that is certainly something he is capable of doing he does you know occasionally tire and and stays out there a little longer than you would like but he gives you minutes he averaged a career high 21 minutes and two seconds of ice time which is important and he had 21 takeaways which matches his career high he also gave you more offensively this year than he ever had in his career he played all 82 games scored six goals 18 assists 24 points all three of those numbers were career highs and I think early in the season Mayfield may have been the most enthusiastic of the Islanders defense men when it came to the freedom that Lane Lambert gave to the defense men to sort of jump into the play and take risks and look he had two goals in the second game of the season against the Anaheim Ducks he added you know a goal and an assist in mid November against Columbus and just generally seemed a little bit more comfortable with those risks that he took now he does turn the puck over in his own zone a little more than you'd like on occasion especially if he's out there for a very long shift and you know penalty minutes were a bit of an issue for Mayfield he had 83 which was also a career high but the the penalties were sometimes of the lazy or silly variety where you just sit there and say why did he do that he you know pulled this guy down or he was a step behind and therefore you know took a bad penalty overall when you add in the fact that Scott Mayfield's salary cap hit was 1.45 million dollars he is by far one of the better values that as far as contracts go that the New York Islanders had and you know he is a solid bottom for defenseman who you know you can put him out there and no he'll give you minutes no he'll be relatively consistent know that he can be physical and that he's not afraid to sacrifice for the team and block shots overall he is at the age of 30 just one of those guys you want to have on your team now he will turn 31 in mid-October so you know for a big physical defenseman the fact that his game is in built on speed you hope Mayfield will have three or four solid years left before he and his game sort of start to tail off a little bit because of age but you know right now I think that Scott Mayfield was a solid contributor to this team probably exceeded expectations a little bit and I think you know part of the important aspect of it was who was his partner going to be because early in the season the partnerships really weren't working so well and then later on he sort of picked things up and and got more comfortable and really I think you know showed more and look you could put him with Sebastian Ajo you could put him with Pelic you could put him with Alexander Ramanov the Ramanov pairing wasn't always great but part of that I think early in the season was that Alexander Ramanov was learning the islander system and I don't necessarily blame that on Mayfield as much as it was the adjustment that Ramanov had to make so I think you got great value from Scott Mayfield you had a solid season he's never going to be spectacular very rarely will you see Scott Mayfield on a sports center or on you know a highlight real play except maybe for the occasional hit but overall you have to like what he's given you and to me that is a big positive for what Scott Mayfield can do for this team or at least what he did this year now Mayfield's contract is up at the end of the season he is an unrestricted free agent will he be back with the New York Islanders we're going to talk about his future will break down the possibilities talk about whether or not Scott Mayfield who has only played for the Islanders throughout his NHL career will be back again in 2023, 2024 all that and more still to come on today's locked on Islanders podcast so Scott Mayfield Scott Mayfield at a crossroads in his career right now I think Mayfield several times has made it clear that he wants to remain a New York Islander there was an article in mid January in the New York Post that quoted Mayfield as saying I love it here my wife loves it here we're kind of set up we have a house now I love the guys in the room I love ownership I love the front office coaching staff they coach the way I like it's an ideal situation we like it there a lot a lot of love there for the New York Islanders and their team staff the whole nine yards from Scott Mayfield he took what may be one of the most team friendly deals last time he signed an extension and to have a regular solid defenseman like Mayfield playing for 1.45 million dollars is an unbelievable bargain and credit where credit is due for this contract and you know this was a five year deal signed before the 2017 during the 2017-18 season and it really was a solid one for the New York Islanders but it also means if Scott Mayfield is 30 going on 31 right around when the season will begin this is his big chance to be a free agent and look mayfield is never going to earn Bo Horvat or Matt Barzal money or even you know Adam Pelik and Ryan Polock money but he is certainly going to get a raise from the 1.45 million dollar salary he's been earning in the last five years per year so to me this is his chance any deal he signs after this next contract he is going to be considered an older player who is a role player who is probably you know on the downside of his career can be useful but you're talking about okay you'll get a one or two year deal at the veteran minimum or a little more than the veteran minimum but this is his big chance and as much as he loves it here and as much as he has been a very useful player for this Islanders team I don't think he's willing to give too much of a hometown discount and that's where the trouble comes in we've talked about the salary cap we've described how difficult it's going to be for the Islanders to bring in new players to get younger faster and more skilled well the Islanders did indeed sign a player last year they traded for and you know acquired a player in Alexander Romano who has a similar skill set to Scott Mayfield as being physical not as big but physical defense first kind of a guy younger less expensive than Mayfield would be and you have a situation where you also have Samuel Bulldoek available and Bulldoek also big maybe again not yet as physical or as confident as Mayfield but you can again even though he's a you know on the list of players who is going to be a free agent Bulldoek is an RFA and you certainly can sign him for what you paid Mayfield last year or probably even a little bit less on a short term deal so there are a lot of reasons why Scott Mayfield may not be back and the biggest one in my mind is the Islanders probably won't offer him more than two and a half three million a year and I'm sure he can get a better deal somewhere else that will you know give him and his family a little bit more you know money and he would be able to take advantage of this opportunity to make you know that one relatively large contract to set him up and his family up for the foreseeable future there are also going to be other teams out there whether it's the Edmonton Oilers who could use that physical defenseman we've talked about the Nashville Predators Barry Trotts is now the GM there you don't think Trotts would love to get Mayfield there and add him to the roster so plenty of reasons why that the New York Islanders may not have Scott Mayfield back but if you can get Mayfield for two and a half to three million a year I wouldn't be upset about it I like Scott Mayfield a lot as far as he's good at what he does at playing that role but if you really want this team to get younger faster and more skilled saying goodbye to guys like Scott Mayfield even though it might be a little bit painful or disappointing is something that you have to strongly consider because that's the way you start getting some of that cap space together time now for our Islanders birthday of the day we're a day late with this one but yeah Monday was the 34th birthday of Islanders winger Matt Martin Matty-Marts member of the identity line drafted by the aisles in the fifth round back in 2008 made his debut in the 09 2010 season played five games there and became a full-time Islander in 2010 2011 was signed by the Maple Leafs in 2016-2017 spent two years in Toronto and then returned to the Islanders where he spent the last five seasons 898 career NHL game 77 goals 168 points and 115 penalty minutes. Martin is a great forechecker he's good at digging pucks out of the corners and you know he'll score the occasional goal but he'll also stand up for his teammates and is one of those guys who sets the tone for your team by checking and being you know a clean but aggressive player especially on the forecheck one of his best moments with the Islanders let's talk playoffs 2021-June 19th to be exact game four Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay up in the series two games to one and at the Nassau Coliseum the Islanders managed to get a 3-2 win in this game and Matt Martin scores the game winning goal in this one on his only shot on goal Islanders with the 3-2 win courtesy of Semian Bar-Lamov's 28 saves Martin scored the third goal of the game for the Islanders it came late in the second period and they hung on for the win so Matt Martin very popular player he turns he turned it 34 yesterday and he is our Islanders birthday of the day want to thank everybody for making locked on Islanders your first listen every day every day is tomorrow we will continue our look at every player on this team we'll take a look at Pierre Engvall talk about his impact with the Islanders whether or not the team should bring him back plus we'll hopefully finally have some news on Lane Lambert and or Lulam Arello we'll have all of that and more on tomorrow's show so every dayers make sure you join us for that have a great day everybody stay safe and of course let's go Islanders buying tickets to see your favorite NHL team shouldn't be stressful that's where game time comes in game time is the place for last minute ticket deals forget planning months in advance game time has deals on tickets right up to the day of the event get images of your seat before you buy so you know exactly what to expect when you arrive you can buy tickets in a matter of seconds two taps in your set download the game time app great an account and use the code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again redeem code locked on NHL for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed a prime members you can listen to this locked on podcast ad free on Amazon music download the Amazon music app today hello nix fans I'm Gavin Shaw host of your daily New York nix podcast locked on nix part of the locked on podcast network your team every day locked on nix brings you the latest nix news and analysis and breaks down all of the action locked on nix is everything a nix fan could want all in one 30 minute daily podcast so subscribe now to locked on nix wherever you get your podcast search locked on nix and get your daily New York nix podcast locked on podcast network your team every day