"They're very important," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said Thursday. "This is the National Hockey League; there's guys that are going to go down, it's got to be the next-man-up mentality. It's opportunities for other guys. But they're both big pieces in our room, both big pieces especially on the penalty kill and in late-game situations, defensive situations. Those are as good as we have."
Clutterbuck needs to have surgery. He scored 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 59 games and led Islanders forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:00). He hadn't played since March 19.
The 34-year-old agreed to a two-year contract Monday. He could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
"They're key players for us," New York forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. "They're both players that bring a physical aspect [to] our game, which is in our game plan every night. They're two leaders, not only on the ice but off the ice, so we're going to need to find a way to get going before games for sure."
Mayfield, a defenseman, was injured blocking a shot in the final minute of a 3-0 win against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. He scored a goal and had an assist in the game.
The 29-year-old scored 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 61 games. He was tied with defenseman Adam Pelech for the Islanders lead in shorthanded ice time per game (2:18).
"It's never fun, obviously," Pageau said. "I don't think [Mayfield] knew until after the game. Obviously, when you block a shot, it can go either way. He scores a big goal for us, I think he felt good. X-rays showed something different. It's tough on the mind of the player, tough on teammates. I never want to see a guy go down. We're going to have to hope that it's going to be a quick recovery. He's going to miss us for sure. He's a big part of this group."
The Islanders (28-25-9) are scheduled to end the regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 29, about five weeks from now.
"Other guys are going to have to develop their game to hopefully [be] better in some of those areas and take on those minutes," Trotz said. "It's going to be some guys that haven't gotten those minutes, this is a real good opportunity for them."
NHL.com deputy managing editor Brian Compton contributed to this report
