The Park Chat With Goring & Trottier EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-recaps/new-york-islanders-new-york-rangers-6-5-overtime] general manager Lou Lamoriello had a decision to make this past summer about pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Scott Mayfield [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/scott-mayfield-new-york-islanders-adam-pelech-ryan-pulock]. The long-time Islander had been on a bargain deal for his role and was due for a pay raise. To get the salary cap hit down to $3.5 million annually, Lamoriello offered the then 30-year-old a seven-year extension, which he signed. Big-body right-handed defensemen are not players readily available on the free agent market and usually have a price tag on the trade market, so Lamoriello made a choice. The returns on that choice through 54 games have been underwhelming. Mayfield has only suited up for 39 games this season due to a lower-body and an upper-body injury but when on the ice, his inability to find his game has been costly too many times. He played a vital role in the Islanders' 15th blown third-period lead on Sunday evening in the Islanders' 6-5 overtime loss to the cross-town rival New York Rangers at MetLife Stadium. Mayfield found himself in the penalty box three times in the game, twice in the third period, in which the Rangers scored on the latter of the two to tie the game at 5-5 with 1:29 to play in the third. The now 31-year-old hasn't been disciplined enough this season, especially for someone who is a top penalty-kill member. His 35 penalties in minutes this season lead the Islanders backend by a fair margin, with Noah Dobso [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/noah-dobson-new-york-islanders-stadium-series-new-york-rangers-patrick-roy]n second on the team with 22. The difference in minor penalties is 15-11, but remember, Mayfield has played in 15 fewer games than Dobson. Anders Lee [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-anders-lee-stan-fischler] leads the team with 16 minor penalties. When on the ice with the penalty kill units, Mayfield has seen 17 goals go in of the 48 power-play goals against (35.4 percent), but you have to keep in mind that he's been in the box more often than not, in which the Islanders have allowed their fair share of power-play goals. So, what's the plan then? With Adam Pelech [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-noah-dobson-adam-pelech-ryan-pulock-alexander-romanov] and Ryan Pulock [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-noah-dobson-adam-pelech-ryan-pulock-alexander-romanov] back and playing well together, with the emergence of Alexander Romanov [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/alexander-romanov-new-york-islanders-hits-montreal-canadiens-lane-lambert] and Dobson as a legitimate No. 1 defense pairing, the need for head coach Patrick Roy [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-patrick-roy-wednesday-practice-anders-lee-bo-horvat] to play Mayfield over 20 minutes a night isn't a need. Roy hasn't been playing him that much since Pelech and Pulock returned. Outside of playing 20:35 in the Islanders 2-1 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken last Tuesday -- not including him playing 21:30 in their 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in which Alexander Romanov got hurt -- hadn't played over 20 minutes since Jan. 15, a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild. But it's getting to the point where Roy has no choice but to cut his minutes even more. Really, where the minute decrease needs to come in on the penalty kill and allow Mayfield to find his game at 5-on-5. Mayfield plays 2:33 minutes per night on the penalty kill, second behind Pelech's 2.56. The Islanders could play Pulock more on the penalty kill, as he's looking mighty fine since returning from a 24-game absence. Dobson, who has been a catalyst offensively for New York, has taken tremendous strides and wants to be a penalty killer. Roy has options. For the bench Mayfield crowd, does Sebastian Aho coming in for the veteran defenseman make this team better? Does moving a left-side defenseman over to get Samuel Bolduc in the lineup make this team better? It would be shocking to see Roy sit Mayfield Tuesday night when the Islanders battle the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. Injuries this season and an inability to get to his game early in the season have had a terrible effect on Mayfield's physical play and decision-making. But Mayfield isn't going anywhere, and Roy needs to do what he can to get Mayfield to play the right way. If limiting minutes allows him to focus more on the little things and get back to basics, that's rather important given the organization's long-term commitment to the veteran blue liner. TOP STORIES
