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DALLAS — The suggestion that Scott Mayfield may soon ask for a trade was shot down earlier this week by Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche. Saturday, Mayfield himself dismissed the idea.
“No, not one bit,” Mayfield told The Post when asked whether he’s considered responding to his benching by asking for a trade, or even by letting management know that he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause. “When I signed my contract, it was to play for the Islanders. I love it here. Obviously circumstances are what they are, but there’s nothing like that.”
Mayfield is a career Islander and sitting for eight of the season’s first 10 games isn’t going to end a fruitful relationship of 15-plus years between team and player. He is under contract through 2030 with full no-trade rights until the 2027-28 season, when his no-trade list will shrink to 16 teams.
Though Mayfield will point out it isn’t the first time he’s had to fight for a spot, things are a bit different now than they were when he was first coming up from AHL Bridgeport, particularly given that he seems to be not the seventh defenseman, but the eighth — with Matt Kessel playing ahead of him following Alexander Romanov’s torn ACL.
“I think you want to be out there every night. Sitting and watching games is hard,” Mayfield said. “At the same time, my approach is stay positive, work with what I can. Make sure when I do get a chance, I’m ready. Keep the cardio up, keep pushing. You don’t get as many reps sometimes in practice, stuff like that. It’s just making sure you do stuff on your own. Staying ready, pretty much.”
DeBoer has said he doesn’t want anyone to sit for an extended period of time, but with Kessel playing well and the Islanders taking a five-game points streak into their match at the Stars on Sunday, changes are unlikely.
Indeed, the Islanders practiced Saturday in the same configuration they’ve played their last two games.
Mayfield said he hasn’t needed much reassurance from DeBoer or, for that matter, Darche.
“I’ve been in the league for a while now and know how it works,” he said. “I know situations, I’ve seen it before. It happened to me, it’s happened to other players. The biggest thing is staying on what I can control. Just staying positive. Just always be ready.”
None of Mat Barzal (left knee), Matias Maccelli (lower body) or Calum Ritchie (lower body) traveled with the Islanders to Dallas, DeBoer said.