Scott Mayfield was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on Tuesday morning, Islanders President of Hockey Ops and General Manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed to reporters.
Lamoriello said Mayfield, who has been out since Feb. 22 with a lower-body injury, will be out a "minimum" of four-to-six weeks, but that timeline could be longer.
"We're going to shut him right down until he gets completely healthy," Lamoriello said.
The Isles' GM said Mayfield's issue had been nagging throughout the season and after the four-to-six week period, the team will evaluate whether or not surgery will be required. Mayfield has five assists through 41 games, with 70 hits and 106 blocked shots.
"Scott is a big presence here, and has been for a long time," Ryan Pulock said. "All the things he does on the PK and in different areas of the game, it's hard to copy that, but it's an opportunity for other guys to step in and play different roles and prove that they can have different responsibilities throughout the game."
While the Isles are losing Mayfield for a long stretch, Robert Bortuzzo is getting closer to a return, per Lamoriello. Bortuzzo has been out since Jan. 2, with a lower-body injury, but has been skating for the past week. Bortuzzo has played 11 games for the Isles this season.
"He's been been awesome guy in the locker room and plays hard," Mathew Barzal said of Bortuzzo. "He's a presence out there. I know that when I was playing against him when he was with St. Louis, that he was a pain to play against so I know he makes it he makes everyone feel like that. Having a guy like that on your team and on the ice, it's nice to have."
FASCHING ACTIVATED
Hudson Fasching was activated off IR on Tuesday. Fasching had been out since Jan. 25, missing 12 games with a lower-body injury. The Islanders forward recently completed a three-game conditioning stint with Bridgeport, scoring one goal in three games.
