The New York Islanders (17-19-7) woke up this morning in 15th place in the Eastern Conference, with a seven-point gulf between them and a playoff spot.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are eyeing reinforcements to bolster both their offense and defense corps and a new name seems to have entered their radar. New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield has emerged as a potential trade target ahead of the NHL's trade deadline set for March 7.

Right-side defenseman Ryan Pulock, who has been playing impressive hockey as of late, is in the third year of an eight-year deal worth $6.15 million. Left-side defenseman Adam Pelech, who is also in the third year of an eight-year deal, carries an annual cap hit of $5.75 million.

When I was talking to Scott Mayfield last week in Las Vegas for a piece on what’s been a quietly resurgent season for No. 24, he said something that did not make it into the story but which caught my ear. “I think for us, we have a goal in here, and that’s to make playoffs and to win a Stanley Cup,” he said.

DEFENSEMEN WITH TRADE PROTECTION: Adam Pelech (full no-trade), Ryan Pulock (full no-trade), & Scott Mayfield (full no-trade).

The player who is currently leading the Islanders in plus-minus might be the least talked about regular on the team.

This looked more like the product the Islanders have put out for most of the season and the Senators came away 2-0 victors.

Just when the New York Islanders look like toast and their season is over, they win three games in a row, on the road nonetheless. They won on Jan. 5 against the Boston Bruins in a 5-4 back-and-forth overtime game.

Head-to-head matchups with three of the nine teams trying to claim the two wild-card positions in the Eastern Conference are going to be meaningful.

Brock Nelson may have snapped a 17-game goal drought with back-to-back games on the scoresheet, but it's unlikely that will change his fate on the New York Islanders. The Islanders' relentless ...

Matthew Barzal scored the latest go-ahead goal for the Islanders in 2 ½ seasons and it held up for the winner as Marcus Hogberg made 21 saves for his first NHL win since April 2021 and the Isles defeated Utah HC 2-1 before a sellout crowd of 11,131 at Delta Center.

Nelson scored a goal on four shots, added two hits and went plus-2 in Saturday's 2-1 win over Utah. Nelson has scored twice and added an assist over the last two games after being limited to four ...