The New York Islanders made a surprising lineup change Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, scratching defenseman Scott Mayfield in favor of newly signed Ben Hutton, who made his Islanders debut on the left side of Matt Kessel in a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Hutton’s arrival had been expected since he signed off his professional tryout on Thursday. What caught observers off guard was that he stepped directly into Mayfield’s spot rather than Kessel’s, despite Mayfield’s strong recent play and his outsized role on the penalty kill.
Mayfield has reportedly been fighting to hold his place in the lineup since training camp, but in the three games since defenseman Ryan Pulock went down with an upper-body injury, Mayfield led the Islanders in ice time while shorthanded, and the penalty kill had converted at a 10-for-11 rate.
That track record looked significant Saturday, when the Islanders killed four penalties against the Devils while using only three defensemen in those situations, relying heavily on Logan Stanley and Adam Pelech — both of whom also took penalties of their own.
Before the game, coach Pete DeBoer addressed Mayfield’s role on the penalty kill directly.
“He’s a part of [the penalty kill],” DeBoer said. “When you make those decisions, guys come out and we’re well aware of some of the strengths of the guys coming out. Also some of the strengths of guys going in. I think if we take five or six penalties tonight we’re in trouble anyway. We gotta stay out of the box.”
After the game, DeBoer credited the penalty-killing unit’s performance and noted that “all penalty killers get fatigued” when a team faces that many opportunities in one night.
The lineup decision lands amid persistent trade speculation surrounding Mayfield, which both the defenseman and general manager Mathieu Darche have denied. The Islanders are also bracing for a roster crunch: the team currently sits one player short of the roster limit, and that math gets tighter once Mathew Barzal, Matias Maccelli and Calum Ritchie are all activated.
Barzal and Maccelli each took part fully in Saturday’s optional morning skate and could return to the lineup soon. The Islanders could avoid waiving a player once that happens by shifting Pulock to injured reserve instead.
Because Mayfield holds a form of trade protection, he cannot be dealt without his consent — but the team could still place him on waivers, a tactic that could pressure him to approve a trade. The Rangers used a similar approach a few years ago to get Jacob Trouba to waive his no-trade clause, a move that drew criticism at the time.
DeBoer said after the game he could not yet confirm whether Barzal or Maccelli would travel with the team to California for its upcoming matchup in San Jose, saying he first needed to consult with the medical staff.
