Here’s a quick update on some of the trade rumors circling the Islanders today. Some you are familiar with and some are new. Since nothing ever gets leaked from Islander land these have come from the other parties involved.
The Islanders have talked with the Maple Leafs in regards to Jake Gardiner. The Leafs are looking for a top six forward ideally a center in return. The Isles have also approached the Sabres about goalie Ryan Miller. The asking price is still rather high and it would require Miller to waive his no trade clause to come to Long Island. I have been told that he “isn’t too keen… on that idea so take that for what it is worth. The Islanders have continued to kick the tires on Florida Panthers dmen Brian Campbell and Dmitri Kulikov. The sticking point with Campbell is his inflated contract and certainly the Panthers would have to eat some of that. The asking price for Kulikov is through the roof and I was told by someone within the Panthers organization that he is not worth the price. “He has all world talent but he is never focused on hockey; I would be very wary of adding him to a club where there are distractions around.… With New York City being so close this is probably a move that the Isles would not want to make. Finally I have been told that the Canucks and Islanders have talked in regards to a Canucks defenseman however that is all I know at this time. We will have to see if anything comes out of this but this is just what I have been told is happening throughout the league.
In prospect news the Bridgeport Sound tigers appear to be trending upwards after posting two wins in their last three games. There is a lot of work to be done with this young team, but they are in every game right now and appear to be slowly growing together. Ryan Strome was named AHL player of the week and AHL rookie of the month as he continues to show that he is that much closer to a call up. I would like to focus though on Islanders defensive prospect Scotty Mayfield. I had the chance to catch up with him today and check in on the hulking blueliners’ first full year in professional hockey. “It’s going really good, it is nice to get the experience; I got the six games last year and that kind of showed me that this is what I had to do. I think I had a hard working summer and we are back at it now this year and its’ been a lot of fun. It was also nice to get four out of six points this past weekend,… said Mayfield.
The young Islanders' prospect knows that there is plenty room for growth and development at the AHL level. Mayfield addressed specifically on what he wants to improve. “There are a lot of areas of my game I have to improve on. I have to keep my speed going. I want to put on some weight, that’s kind of a big thing for me; playing big. I play in the defensive zone, where I can be physical and block shots. Those are all thing I want address surrounding my defensive game and I hope to keep on improving.…
I asked Scotty if there was one player that he wanted to model his game after growing up. “I grew up watching Chris Pronger in St. Louis, so that’s definitely the big type of defenseman that I liked to watch.… Finally, I wanted to get his take on what Islanders fans could expect from him when he finally gets the call to the Island. “First I have to get there, but like I said I’m a big physical defenseman, so I bring that physicality on the back end. I like to play in the d-zone, in the corners, block shots and get my first pass going to get us out of the zone.…
I can’t undervalue how large of a kid Mayfield is and he is the type of player the Islanders could definitely use moving forward. He will continue to develop in Bridgeport and I can certainly see him competing for a roster spot in training camp next year.
But as of the here and now the Islanders return to action tonight against the Penguins. The lineup which was one minute away from a win against the Capitals will remain the same meaning that Anders Nilsson will get the start in goal.
For more on my interview with Scotty Mayfield follow me on Twitter or Instagram at @DanDanNoodles78