Islanders Counting on Defensive Depth After Roster Changes

The 'Next Man Up' mentality has buoyed the Islanders at even their grimmest points in the season and this year will be no different.

While the Islanders' proud defensive core will have to address the voids of Johnny Boychuk, whose career ended due to an eye-injury, and Devon Toews, who was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche, they're treating those vacancies just as they would with any injury or absence that occurs over the course of a season and rely on their organizational depth.
"It'll be different right off the bat," said Nick Leddy, who was Boychuk's long-term d-partner, over Zoom on Sunday afternoon. "But with our team and injuries throughout the season, we've all played with just about everyone. It's nothing that we all haven't dealt with before, especially me. The biggest thing is just communicating and talking it out, whether you're on the ice, after a shift or in between periods."

The natural fit to fill the void of Boychuk and Toews' departures appears to be sliding Leddy, who is a left-shot and stellar skater, alongside Mayfield, who is a right-shot and physical presence.
"I don't know what the plan is going forward as far as partners, playing time and all of that," Mayfield said. "But as far as [Leddy] and [Toews] go, they're pretty similar players. I know my job. I know what I need to do; be in the corners, be physical and be good in front. Both of them, they're good skaters. If there are two similar players, I'd say they're probably the most likely."
Following Day 1 of training camp, Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz confirmed that he's chalked up Leddy with Mayfield, Adam Pelech with Ryan Pulock and veteran Andy Greene, with the up-and-comer in Noah Dobson.
"If I was going into it, I've got Leddy and Mayfield, [Pelech and Pulock], [Greene and Dobson]," Trotz said over Zoom on Monday afternoon.
As far as who could crack the 23-man roster as the seventh defenseman or who might be named to the Islanders four-to-six man taxi squad, Trotz praised the depth of options that are in attendance.
There are familiar faces to the organization in Sebastian Aho, Thomas Hickey, Grant Hutton and Parker Wotherspoon along with some of the younger and newer draftees like Samuel Bolduc and Bode Wilde.

"We've got a couple of young guys that are making some big strides," Trotz said. "We're just going to have to sort that out. They all bring little different things and they're all also in different development or career phases. We're going to let it play out. I was impressed with a lot of guys. There's not a lot of give. There's some backside pressure, which is really good when you have that."
And as competition for players vying for remaining spots cultivates a positive backside pressure, which Trotz noted, the returning core of the Islanders defense is embracing that challenge while also establishing even higher expectations for themselves individually and as a unit, this season.
"I'm extremely confident in our group," Pelech said. "I think everyone back there feels the same way. Losing guys like [Toews] and [Boychuk] is going to be tough, but when you lose guys like that, everyone has to step up. [Dobson] is going to play a bigger role this year. We're all confident and excited for him to see how his game grows. We all know how good of a player he can be. For all of the other guys, we all need to step up to fill the void that those two guys left."
The Islanders backend will have a slightly different look to it this season in regards to pairings and regulars in the lineup, but the nightly product will hopefully be the same. The Islanders pride themselves and have rightfully earned the reputation as one of the hardest teams to play against in the league, finishing top-10 in goals-against per game in each of the past two seasons.
Competing against the likes of high-scoring offenses like the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, who all ranked in the top-10 for goals for per game last season, only further stresses the importance of the Islanders' defense to be at its best.

"The teams that are good defensively are the teams that lasted," Trotz said. "The teams that went to the final four last year were all probably in the top-five of defensive teams."
The Islanders, specifically their defensive core and the backbone of their detailed structure, understands the task at hand. But just as they have in years past, they're embracing the challenge ahead and ensuring that they'll set themselves up to execute a successful season.
"In the past, guys have stepped up every chance they've gotten," Leddy said. "It'll be the same thing now. There's new opportunities. As a team, we still have a ton of confidence. We pride ourselves on being a good, defensive team and that's what makes us a very good team."