With Noah Dobson and Bode Wilde coming off of great seasons in the Canadian Hockey League, the New York Islanders will soon be playing a numbers game when it comes to their defense core, especially on the right side.
While Wilde and Dobson both had excellent seasons in the CHL this year, the latter will probably be getting a serious look at making the main roster next year. If he does, the right side will be crowded with Ryan Pulock, Johnny Boychuk, Scott Mayfield and Dobson. At this point, Pulock is too valuable to be moved, while it’s unlikely anyone is willing to take on the Boychuk contract, plus he has a no-move clause attached as well. This leaves just Mayfield to be replaced and while his $1.45 million AAV brings great value, it would be too much to pay to have Mayfield as a spare.
The good thing about the situation is that Mayfield could bring a good return based on his contract. With four more years at a very good price as a fairly young, right-handed defenseman, Mayfield could bring back a good return. He’ll be able to add both toughness and size and would be good for about 20 points a year (per 82 games).
If trading Mayfield does become a possibility, the Islanders should be looking to teams in a salary cap crunch, who could benefit from the low cost of the contract. This gives them the opportunity to make room for Dobson (or Wilde, for that matter) while also the ability to fetch the likes of a third-line forward.
Even if both Dobson and Pulock are returned to junior, it still only buys time for a move to be made with the likes of Pulock, Boychuk and Mayfield. Whether it’s this year or next, Mayfield is a likely to be moved before his contract comes to an end, to make room on the Islanders' blue line.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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