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EAST MEADOW, NY -- When the New York Islanders announced they had signed defenseman Scott Mayfield to a seven-year extension worth $24.5 million last summer, people's jaws hit the ice.

While the average annual value (AAV) wasn't terrible, at $3.5 million, the style in which the then 30-year-old played -- blocking shots, penalty kill -- would make it tough for Mayfield to still be that minutes-eater three, four, and five years down the line.

But, big-body right-side defensemen are hard to come by, and the Islanders believed that Mayfield long-term was the right plan.

With many people up in arms about the signing, playing well in Year 1 would likely quiet that portion of the fan base.

Unfortunately for Mayfield, Year 1 went south and fast.

Suffering a fractured left ankle in Game 1 of the regular season after blocking Rasmus Dahlin's one-timer, Mayfield was compromised from there on out.

With so many injuries to the backend, Mayfield tried to power through for the better of the team.

On Dec. 7, Mayfield spoke with The Hockey News about the state of his ankle:

"Any time you have a lower-body injury, it's a pain to work through, and I'm still dealing with it a little bit. It's part of the game. Injuries happen. It's just dealing with it and doing everything you can to make yourself feel comfortable every night. It's kind of a mental grind, just knowing it will get better. There's days where you put your skates on and feel like it'll never get better. So, it's a little bit of a mental grind, putting yourself in positions when you aren't feeling that good. You might not be 100 percent on that foot, and you got to make sure that you put yourself in a position where you're not getting caught, you're not flat-footed. You're always moving."

After continuing to play, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, with doctors and Mayfield, decided ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline that the best route was to shut the defenseman down for four to six weeks before deciding on surgery.

Mayfield had played 40 games with the fracture, but enough was enough, as his inability to play his role was hurting the Islanders on the ice.

On March 26, the Islanders shared that Mayfield underwent season-ending surgery and was expected to be ready for 2024-25.

During that time, we were not able to speak to Mayfield as he was on long-term injured reserve, nor did we know what the true extent of his injury was outside of it being classified as "lower body."

It wasn't surprising when he shared the true nature of his injury and how difficult it made his job on locker room cleanout day.

“It was game one. There was a fracture in the ankle, and it just never healed right," Mayfield said. "A couple of twists here and there, and mid-February was when we decided it just needed to get healthy and try to take some time off and ended up having surgery.

“There were some better nights, some not-so-good nights. Obviously, it wasn't all just having a good ankle, but I need to play a pretty specific way, and it's hard to do that when there’s something wrong. So, like I said, it was a tough season, and just focus on the summer.”

Following the surgery, Mayfield was getting around with some crutch contraption before moving to a boot.

By season's end, Mayfield was without the boot, with his equipment hanging in his locker room stall.

"I’m starting to walk around. That’s about where I’m at, and it’s a process," Mayfield said. "The rehab process, it's going well, but you know, it's tough sitting there watching the games, especially in the playoffs.”

Mayfield's summer preparation for next season shouldn't be tremendously impacted.

“Other than maybe the next couple of weeks, not much. That's usually when you take off. I've had enough time off that I don't think I'll be taking any time off, so it's feeling pretty good, and it's getting there.”

With how bad the Islander's defense was this past season, with and without Mayfield in the lineup, there is a major need for the veteran blue-liner to bounce back in 2024-25.

Of course, there will be fans that say Mayfield is terrible and the injury had nothing to do with the struggles, so get used to the lack of foot speed and the mental skates for the next six seasons.

But, if you are a realist and someone who understands how much an injury affects the mental side of the support, hold your judgment of Mayfield for next season.

If you are going to take anything from Mayfield's play this past year, teammate Mathew Barzal has the analysis.

"He's always been that warrior for us. He's a heart and soul guy. I mean, it sucked watching him go through that kind of pain every night."

Every night.

If Mayfield, back healthy, struggles, then the criticism is warranted but don't be shocked to see him bounce back and play a key role for New York and Patrick Roy in Year 2 of his extension.

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Islanders: Save Your Scott Mayfield Judgements For Next Season