Islanders’ Scott Mayfield ready to play at full strength after ankle injury

Scott Mayfield last played in February.

But the last time he played at full power?

It was last October, during the 2023 opening night.

The up-and-down season that followed that win over the Sabres in which Mayfield broke his ankle blocking a shot culminated in the decision to have surgery after the defenseman tried for 41 games to look like his usual self but failed.

It all added up to a frustrating season in the first of a seven-year contract.

Mayfield had dealt with injuries before, but none required surgery and none derailed a season like this one.

Even his optimistic prediction on the day of the breakup, when he said his summer training would not be affected beyond the first two weeks, proved wrong.

“It took me a while,” Mayfield said. “I got back on the ice in the middle of the summer. Up until a month, month and a half ago, it was hard work. It was a long rehab process.”

The result, Mayfield said, is that the ankle feels good now.

He is ready to go.

And the Islanders, who lost depth defenseman Robert Bortuzzo as a free agent, badly need that self-diagnosis to be correct.

As it stands, Mayfield should likely slot in on the third pair of a blue line that — when all six starters are healthy — seems like it could roll with anyone.

On paper, it’s a strength.

What the Islanders lack, however, is much depth beyond their presumed top six.

Samuel Bolduc, a left-hander, struggled under Lane Lambert last season, failed to crack the lineup once Patrick Roy took over and had to take a conditioning camp in Bridgeport.

Bortuzzo is gone.

If there is a right side injury, the Islanders will turn to… Grant Hutton? Aidan Fulp? Bueller?

Asking each of the six defenders for 82 games is about as realistic as asking Santa for a yacht.

But avoiding the injury-plagued first half of the season they suffered last season would be nice, as would Mayfield’s durability returning.

“I like the shape of my body,” Mayfield said. “For me, it’s the battles, that tight stuff, that’s what I have to get more used to. The tight, physical little game, that’s what’s hard to replicate in the summer. The long-stride skates with the bag, you can replicate that pretty easily in the summer.

“Every day is important for me, just getting reps, getting familiar with Patty. I’ve only played nine games, maybe 10 games under him (and) a lot of those games I was more concerned with other things going on than learning the systems and stuff. It’s a big camp for me.”

Anders Lee, who worked hard to return from a torn ACL in time for the start of the 2021-22 season, knows the feeling.

“I’ve missed enough in these six months that I really want it,” Lee told the Post. “Scotty is the same way. He’s anxious to feel 100 percent. He’s going through the process and it’s going to be great and everything. But he’s going to get to a point where he won’t even think about it.”

Mayfield didn’t just get a handful of games under Roy.

He has played only 16 games in a duo with Mike Reilly, who will likely be his partner at the start of the year.

And all this happened while he was worried about his ankle.

Third pairing or not, Roy said he expects Mayfield to occasionally play against top lines and resume his role on the penalty kill.

Regardless of what the depth chart says, it would be surprising to see Mayfield play fewer than 18-20 minutes a night.

This is no small feat.

“It took me all summer. I was able to feel better by doing more and more things,” Mayfield said. “It was a big reset. I only played half the games last year, I only played one game feeling good. It was a long one, but like I said, I like where my body is. I like the time I had this summer. It’s a big camp for me. I just have to get ready for the first day.”