Scott Mayfield shuts down Islanders trade request talk

The trade talk has been around Mayfield for about a week. In Dallas, a reporter finally asked him about it directly, and he didn't leave any room.

Ethan Sears

@ethan_sears

Asked Scott Mayfield about rumors he may ask for a trade yesterday. "When I signed my contract, it was to play for the Islanders," he told me. "... There's nothing like that." Full story: t.co/sy277Yqd1s

In the full New York Post story he went further, saying "No, not one bit" when asked whether he had thought about requesting a trade, and adding, "I love it here." He also didn't pretend the press box is fun. "Sitting and watching games is hard," he said, and his plan is to stay positive so he's ready whenever he gets the call.

The healthy scratches are why this is a story. Mayfield didn't make the lineup out of training camp and had played just twice in the first 8 games. That's a big drop for a guy who has spent his whole career in the Islanders organization. He just turned 34, and when a veteran sits that long the rumor mill fills in the rest: either he wants out or the team wants him gone.

GM Mathieu Darche had already shut that down earlier in the week. "I can tell you right now, there's no truth to any of those rumors," Darche said, adding that Mayfield hasn't asked for a trade and the team hasn't asked him to waive his no-trade clause. Interest is real, though. The Flyers, Jets and Maple Leafs are among the teams that reportedly called Darche about him.

The contract makes any deal tricky. Mayfield is in Year 4 of a 7-year, $24.5 million deal that pays $3.5 million a year, and he has a full no-trade clause right now. Next season it shrinks to a 16-team no-trade list. Put simply, nobody moves him without his OK this season, and he just said in public that he isn't giving it.

So for now he stays. A right-shot defenseman at $3.5 million still has value around the league, and those 3 teams aren't going to forget about him. The real question is how long the scratches last. If he's still watching from upstairs in December, his answer to this same question might sound a lot different. For now the guy with the veto says he isn't going anywhere.