Thursday, January 4, 2018

Islanders Extend Mayfield, Team Needs Change


The Islanders have a few big things to be thankful for so far this season. Their new Arena deal at Belmont, strong play at home in Brooklyn, a blistering offensive output supported by their 1st and 2nd lines while Mathew Barzal continues to improve, impressing everyone in the NHL.


Today, our New York Islanders announced a five-year extension for improving D, Scott Mayfield ($1.45M average per year – Staple) that will run through the 2023-24 season. The 25-year-old Mayfield (34th overall selection in 2011 NHL Entry Draft) has 2 & 8 for 10 points in 29 games and a -1 rating with the Isles this season. Mayfield obviously made an impression in his 65 NHL appearances and 2 playoff games, earning a spot with the big club to start the season based on his gritty, puck-moving style of play. Mayfield has obviously shown enough to Garth Snow to join fellow BST, D-Man, Adam Pelech to seemingly be in the future plan on Isles blue line for the foreseeable future. Both are talented, physical and driven players that should help add depth to the back end with more experience.


Per release, “Mayfield has also played 223 American Hockey League games with the Sound Tigers, totaling 12 goals, 38 assists and 411 penalty minutes.

Prior to his professional career, Mayfield attended the University of Denver, where he scored 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) and collected 192 penalty minutes in 81 games over two seasons. Mayfield also played two seasons with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League. In 111 career USHL games, Mayfield totaled 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) and 304 penalty minutes.”


While it’s not a popular move with some, I like it. Like Pelech does from the back-end, I feel Mayfield has some value to add in transitional play on defense to the team moving forward. I also feel, like Pelech, it’s a steep learning curve to ask a pair of young, inexperienced defensemen to bear on a team struggling to keep the puck out of the net.


Since that big Arena news, the Isles have managed to all but fall apart as a squad and now find themselves just out of playoff contention (CAR game-at-hand) for the 2nd wild card spot in the east. After a 4-3 OT win against the Kings in a December they would rather forget, the Isles continued their slide, going 1 & 6 that started off with a loss to Detroit on 12/19. Other than a 5-2 win (and 1st career hatty by Barzal), the Isles lost to the Ducks, Sabres, Jets, Avalanche and Bruins getting outscored by a dismal 34-18 margin in that span coming off a strong 15-7-2 mark at the end of November. As a team, they are 2nd worst in the NHL with 143 goals against in 40 games (ARI 145) and 2nd worst on the PK with a 74.6% rate of success. Only Edmonton is worse with 70.8%. And that’s even after the Islanders rank 3rd offensively with a 3.38 goals per game average.

Sebastian Aho was added to the Isles in the absence of experienced blue liners like Boychuk (Lower, week to week) & de Haan (indefinitely). With the recent struggles, it’s hard to expect any of these guys to make a significant impact with the team so off the mark. New York’s net minder tandem of Halak and Greiss have been streaky and have just not played well enough game in and game out. Especially when you consider how the defense has left them alone regularly to face adversity in odd man or shorthanded situations.


Even their potent offense has sputtered recently. The 3rd and 4th lines are struggling to contribute and effectively negate the top lines of the opposition and spark offensively. Garth Snow has only responded with internal shake-up attempts. To restart the offense, Josh Ho-Sang was sent down on the 12/15, Shane Prince recalled on the 20th and Tanner Fritz on 1/1 with Anthony Beauvillier being sent down and Steve Bernier returning to the BST recently. It seems their organizational depth is just not enough to pull them out of their current nose dive.


After the 6-1 loss to COL and seeing his head coach ejected, John Tavares was quoted as saying, “It’s embarrassing to be losing like that. Can’t take for granted playing in this league every night.” It seems Doug Weight has found himself in his first real series of challenges since taking over head coaching duties in the later part of last season. “Adversity is hitting us between the eyes right now as a group. We have three really big games and we have to figure it out. We have to get back our mojo, our fierceness that we seem to have let drift.” In my opinion, Mojo = Accountability. If Weight doesn’t have the horses, its once again incumbent on management to make the moves to keep the team in the thick of the playoff race.


The Isles are now 20-16-0, 6th in their division and 9th in the east. To me, it seems this team has lost their focus, direction and confidence in their overall game. I am finally sad to say they may be losing their captain in the process. BST recalls won’t fix game or glaring defensive weakness. I say again, change is needed and Garth Snow is on the clock.


The season is almost halfway over and the Isles must overcome this “Bomb Cyclone” hitting the north east, win on the road and start their comeback against the Metro Flyers (4 points back) tonight in Philadelphia, then Pittsburg (1 point back) and Devils (2nd in division) before their 5 day NHL break.


Anders lee isn’t worried. “I think for sure our attitude could be a little bit more strong. Guys are unhappy with what’s gone on . . . so we’re going to change it.”


Give em’ hell Anders.





Isles Notes:


1/1 Per Arthur Staple, “Isles send Anthony Beauvillier and Steve Bernier to BPT … Recall Tanner Fritz from BPT.”


12/28, Per Arthur Staple, “Isles have placed Johnny Boychuk (lower body) on IR and recalled Sebastian Aho from Bridgeport. Boychuk considered week to week as of now.”


Per Eric Hornick, “Sebastian Aho will become first #Isles to make NHL debut this season and only 2nd in 2017 (JHS). Aho is first #Isles to debut in his draft year since Nino in 2011.”


On 12/24, Mathew Barzal named 2nd Star of the Week, scored his first career hat-trick agains thte Sabres on 12/27 and was named 2nd Star of the Month


Per Brain Compton, “John Tavares has not ruled out re-signing with #Isles before end of season.”


Per @garik16, “Score Adjusted Corsi over each NHL team's last 15 games: The #Isles come in at 31st Place. Yeah, they've been the league's worst team.”


The Isles Bellows (USA), Salo and Koivula (Finland) are participating in 2018 WJC.


Per Randi Marshall, “On finances: New York Arena Partners - group includes #isles, Sterling and Oak View - will finance the entire project - $1 billion total. They'll get a 49 yr lease and will pay $40 mil in rent.”

“And finally, be patient. Building in NYS takes time. There are environmental reviews to do, infrastructure work that's going to need to happen, and plenty of steps between now and a season opener at Belmont. Be patient, stay involved, but watch what happens...”
“Cuomo mentions #isles and Belmont in State of State - Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin get round of applause "for believing in NY." Nikolay Kulemin one other player (de Haan)and in suits and ties there too. "Welcome back to Long Island" Cuomo says.”


NHL open to Islanders playing games at Nassau Coliseum.


Per Arthur Staple, “Charles Wang's name came up often at today's press conference. "Nobody should take anything away from Charles, because frankly, the Islanders wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Charles.’ -- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.”



Sound Tiger Notes:


Tanner Fritz & Sebastian Aho named to the 2018 #AHL All-Star Classic.




Team USA Olympic News:


Rosters announced.




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