New York Islanders Need Trade after Scott Mayfield Injury

Scott Mayfield will be out four weeks with a lower-body injury. Now can New York Islanders GM Garth Snow bring in a defenseman? Can now be the time please?

The injuries keep on piling up for the New York Islanders. Today we found out that defender Scott Mayfield will be out for up to four weeks with a lower body injury.

Add him to the growing list of defenseman out for the Islanders. Johnny Boychuk is still out with injury he picked up in at the end of December. Calvin de Haan won’t be back after needing season-ending shoulder surgery. And now Mayfield.

Look, Mayfield’s absence alone doesn’t make this situation as dire as it is now. The recent recipient of a five year $7.25 million contract is at best a bottom tier defenseman this season. But losing any more NHL calibre talent spells disaster.

Who’s Left

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With Mayfield out, along with the other two injuries, the New York Islanders blue line is going to look something like so:
Nick Leddy-Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech-Dennis Seidenberg
Thomas Hickey-Sebastian Aho

It could look like that. It could also look completely different. We’ve seen Seidenberg sit up on the top pair with Nick Leddy as recently as last Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

At least with Mayfield in the lineup, Seidenberg could be put on the bench as the seventh defenseman. With Mayfield out Seidenberg and his defensive liability is going to be plain for everyone to see.

Unless Garth Snow makes a trade for a defenseman…

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Defenseman Trading

Believe it or not there are defenseman out there. Heck Cody Franson was placed on waivers just a few weeks ago. He would have been a good addition then as much as he’d be right now.

Maybe the market is a sellers market, and any buyer is going to be bled dry to get anything. But Garth has to be desperate at this point. You’d have to assume that if the Islanders don’t make the playoffs again this season that Garth’s job would be in jeopardy.

Next: Islanders Trade Deadline Preview 2.0

Now is the time for Garth Snow to make a move and get a defenseman. Maybe the fact that they haven’t called anyone up from the AHL to take Mayfield’s place means they’ll make a trade. Or that Garth is just going too go with six defenseman. We’ve seen him do it before (although he had three goalies to worry about then).