Islanders: Scott Mayfield Expectations For 2021 Season

Over the past two years, Scott Mayfield has developed into a steady second pair guy for the Islanders. What should we expect in 2021?

When looking at the New York Islanders roster, Scott Mayfield isn’t necessarily a sexy name. While nothing Mayfield does is flashy, he’s a steady player that every good team needs to have in their defensive core.

Before Barry Trotz came to Long Island, Mayfield was just a part-time player. He never played more than 47 games in a season, which he did in the 2017-2018 season. In his first year under Trotz, he was tasked with playing with rookie Devon Toews and that pair worked quite well.

From January 2018 onwards, the two were very solid together. They ran it back last season and once again the two found success as Mayfield is the perfect complement to a player like Devon Toews.

Toews is an offensive-minded d-man who can carry the puck while Mayfield is more of your stay at home defenseman who is better in his own end. Last year, in 67 games, Mayfield finished with 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists).

Like I mentioned, point production isn’t his game. At six-foot-five 223 pounds, he’s more effective using his boy for positioning in the defensive end and throwing the weight around on the boards.

Something to take note of is his usage over the past few years. He went from 17:51 in 2018 to 18:44 in 2019 to 19:57 this past year. The Islanders trust him a great deal, he averaged 20:33 during the playoffs as well.

2021 Expectations

With Devon Toews in Colorado, the Islanders are likely to put him with Nick Leddy who is assumably going to take a bigger role. If I had to guess, Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock, Nick Leddy – Scott Mayfield, and Andy Greene – Noah Dobson are most likely to be the pairs in 2021.

For the first time in his career, during the regular season, Scott Mayfield will average over 20 minutes per night. Playing in all 56 games, Mayfield will average 20:19 for the Isles this season.

As far as the scoresheet goes, Scott Mayfield will have 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in a 56 game season. Paced out that’s 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists).

Scott Mayfield will trail only Adam Pelech in ice time on the penalty kill this year. Mayfield on the books for three more seasons at $1.45 million is a fantastic bargain for the Islanders.