The New York Islanders began the season with eight defensemen on one-way NHL contracts and two more “on the cusp” prospects waiting in the wings. They no doubt thought that crowded group at least created good injury insurance.
Alas. Now Scott Mayfield’s injury, putting him out an expected four weeks, leaves them with two of those 10 blueliners out for the season, another top-four mainstay out since December, and the team now in position to depend on 36-going-on-42-year-old Dennis Seidenberg (20 games played thus far) for regular duty as they head into a traveling back-to-back set Thursday and Friday.