Islanders Foresight Provides Protection Against Possible Mayfield Departure

Was the New York Islanders trade for Alexander Romanov last summer insurance in case Scott Mayfield walks in free agency? Stefen Rosner explains his thought process in his latest.

The New York Islanders have plenty of decisions to make this summer, one being 30-year-old defenseman Scott Mayfield.

The big-body defender, who does it all on the backend, is up for a pay raise. 

But, as we know and discussed in our latest piece, the Islanders may be unable to afford him this summer.

READ MORE: Scott Mayfield's Future With Islanders at a Crossroads

It would be a tough loss, given everything that Mayfield brings, in terms of his shot-blocking ability, big minutes on the penalty kill, and ability to use his frame to his advantage.

No one knows if a deal is done, but everything Mayfield said during his end-of-the-year exit interview leads to speculation that an agreement with New York was not in place as of Monday. 

Mayfield was held onto through the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline as the Islanders were still in a heated battle for a wild-card spot, one they ultimately got before falling in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

If Mayfield does walk, the Islanders would be down an NHL defenseman with no real answers waiting in the wings to fill that right side. 

However, the Islanders likely knew that Mayfield taking a team-friendly deal to stay following this season wasn't a sure bet.

With their acquisition of Alexander Romanov at the last year's draft, one could think that the move for the 22, now 23-year-old defenseman would serve as a safety blanket if Mayfield chose elsewhere in free agency. 

Let's dive in. 

Lamoriello took a chance, sending the 13th overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens for Romanov at last year's draft.

The Islanders had just lost Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene and needed defense, specifically on the younger side. 

"Well, we had an opportunity to get a 22-year-old top-four defenseman, who has tremendous character, has tremendous competitiveness, and so we felt, you know, it was the right thing, and we were looking for a defenseman," Lou Lamoriello said back on July 8. . "And we felt that in the draft, that the ones we were looking at would be gone. And it was not really a tough decision."

Yes, getting a young defenseman who could partner with the young Noah Dobson for years to come was rather attractive and still could be the case despite their struggles together in year one. 

But think about it. 

Despite the two playing different sides, they have very similar roles.

Both played substantial minutes on the penalty kill, with Mayfield leading the way with over 220 minutes, while Romanov played 153.

Romanov led the Islanders with 198 hits, while Mayfield sat in third with 107. 

Mayfield led the Islanders in blocks with 168, while Romanov was second with 129.

Yes, Romanov is a much stronger skater, which, in theory, should allow for stronger transitioning, something that the Islanders were pretty terrible at this season.

He also set a career-high with 22 points (two goals, 20 assists). 

If Mayfield walks, the Islanders still have someone that not only fills his role, but may have more of an impact due to that skating ability. 

Not to mention, Romanov is making $2.5 million over the next three years -- a number that Mayfield should clear easily on the open market -- and is eightish years younger. 

The Islanders would still need to bring in another depth defenseman, but it wouldn't have to be a Mayfield-caliber player. Because of Romanov, that replacement could be more of a speedy backend guy or a solid, veteran stay-at-home bottoms-six defenseman.

Only a few years ago did the Islanders make a rather critical mistake on their backend, something that Romanov essentially saves them from doing again. 

When the Islanders traded Nick Leddy to the Detriot Red Wings in the summer of 2021, the issue wasn't that Leddy, a speedy transitioner, was gone, 

It was the fact that the Islanders failed to bring in a player like Leddy. 

Instead, they brought in 44-year-old defenseman Zdeno Chara, whose skills are not his skating and transitioning ability.

And that mistake, not having a backup plan for a Leddy-like guy, hurt the Islanders, as they missed the playoffs that year.

Dobson, who showed just last year the kind of transitioner he could be, took steps back this past year as the Leddy decision still affects this group.

It's a similar situation to Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Bo Horvat, but that's a topic for another day. 

With the Islanders needing cap space, New York could move on from Pageau and his intangibles -- face-off guy, penalty killer -- because Bo Horvat does all that while providing more offense. 

If Mayfield does stay at a reasonable price, that's a win-win for New York, as they have two players on two different defense pairings that bring a similar game. 

But if Mayfield is out, the Islanders are A-okay, as Romanov is here.