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The New York Islanders have inked defenseman Scott Mayfield to a five year extension today. Arthur Staple tweeted it out only a few moments ago. Mayfield will collect 1.45 million annually for the next five years. There’s no word yet as to whether that includes any no movement or no trade clauses.
#Isles announce a five-year extension for Scott Mayfield, $1.45-million average per year.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) January 4, 2018
The big defenseman has been a surprise late bloomer for the Islanders as he was part of the team’s top possession pairing with Thomas Hickey last season. He started off poorly this season, but his performance has improved recently and he’s practically breaking even in relative Corsi. He’s also chipped in with two goals and eight assists this year - that’s not bad for a defenseman with only three minutes of power play time.
The deal appears to be a bit rich for some people’s liking, but ultimately it’s not horrible value for a guy who can provide consistency on the third pairing. Nobody will say that the Islanders are a team without faults, but Mayfield hasn’t been one of them thus far this season. If his run of good play continues, this should ultimately prove to be a decent, low-cost signing.
Five more years!!!!! #isles
— Scott Mayfield (@scottmayfield2) January 4, 2018
Mayfield (from @NHLAdamK): "My thing is not so much the money, I wanted to be here. They drafted me, I played here, played in the minors, all that. I want to be here because we have a chance to win here." #Isles
— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) January 4, 2018