Pierre Engvall is blowing a golden opportunity this season
Pierre Engvall had a career season last year, putting up 35 points (15 goals & 20 assists) in 78 games. He then signed a one-year deal for this season worth $2.25 million. After signing the deal, he went on record saying "I hope and I think I can score 20 goals".
Now, 21 games into the Leafs' season, the results have been disappointing. Engvall has only produced 4 points (2 goals & 2 assists) in 20 games played. This translates to a 0.2 points-per-game average. Well below the 0.45 points-per-game average he finished with last season. This is not a byproduct of lack of opportunity, as Engvall continues to receive similar ice time as he did last year. His average ice time is 12 minutes and 7 seconds per game this season, slightly down from the 13 minutes and 17 seconds per game he averaged last season.
With Engvall, it is not just about the lack of offensive production. He is 6-foot-5 and has incredible speed. Two ingredients that could make him one of the best forecheckers in the league. And yet, he often fails to finish his checks (as can be seen in the video below) and is often soft on pucks and in puck battles.
Engvall was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in the seventh round (188th overall) of the 2014 NHL entry draft. He continued to develop in Sweden until he joined the AHL's Toronto Marlies full time in the 2017-18 season. He made his NHL debut for Toronto in the 2019-20 season. Since then, he has registered 66 points (32 goals & 34 assists) in 188 career regular season games.
The 26-year-old had a great opportunity this season. Given the departures of Ilya Mikheyev and Ondrej Kase last off-season, the Leafs were hopeful that Engvall could continue to add scoring from the middle six, something the Leafs have lacked this season. After a breakout year last season offensively, Leaf fans hoped Engvall could build off that and continue to provide secondary scoring. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career at the end of this season and the lack of offense is likely costing him dollars on a future contract as well. While there is still plenty of time for the Swedish forward to find his game, he has not had the start to the season that he, or Leaf fans, were hoping for.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 25 | 155 ANSWERS Pierre Engvall is blowing a golden opportunity this season How many points will Engvall finish the season with | ||
| Below 20 | 68 | 43.9 % |
| 20-29 | 69 | 44.5 % |
| 30-39 | 13 | 8.4 % |
| 40 + | 5 | 3.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
