Ex-Leaf Pierre Engvall's future on Long Island has been confirmed by Patrick Roy
Former Maple Leaf, Pierre Engvall, has had a really tough time finding his offensive spark since being traded to the New York Islanders, but his new coach, Patrick Roy remains hopeful that he'll figure it out.
After putting up a career high 15 goals and 35 points with the Maple Leafs in 2021-22, Engvall earned himself a fairly significant raise from the $1.25M he was earning at the time, with former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas bumping him up to $2.25M for the 2022-23 season.
Unfortunately, Engvall took a bit of a step back in 2022-23, notching just 21 points in 58 games with the Leafs before being traded to the Islanders for a 3rd round pick ahead of the trade deadline. He went on to score 5 more goals and 9 more points with the Isles that season, culminating in a 7-year extension on Long Island worth $21M in total, carrying a $3M AAV.
Much to the dismay of the Islanders, Engvall's production went in the wrong direction last season, finishing the 2023-24 campaign with just 28 points in 74 games.
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Patrick Roy was hired to take over the Islanders mid-season and actually led the team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs against all odds. Unfortunately, even Roy couldn't seem to get the most out of Engvall, which has led to a lot of discussions over whether he might be dealt this summer.
Roy should have put an end to that speculation back in February, confirming that he believes Engvall will be just fine and that he plans to work with him so the big Swede can get his groove back.
"Pierre is going to be fine. He's a very good hockey player. [Going back to that play against Montreal], Pierre knows exactly what I thought. I don't like bringing this into the paper because it's not the paper's business, but Pierre is a good player. He's an important player on our team.
Sometimes, it's just, 'Okay, we need a little more from you,' and I know that I'm going to get that from him, because he's a nice person. He cares about the team. He wants to play for this team. He wants to help.
Last year in the playoffs, everybody said to me he was one of our better players. So let's bring that little flame back and have him playing the way we think he should be playing."
For Engvall, a coach having that sort of trust in him might be the catalyst needed to find his game again. The Islanders may have an aging core, but they play the game the right way. We know that Engvall, during his time in Toronto, was a solid two-way player. Now, it's just about him finding his confidence in another market, playing a different system.
Thankfully for Engvall, his coach appears to be on his side.
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily
| POLL |
2 JUIN | 326 ANSWERS Ex-Leaf Pierre Engvall's future on Long Island has been confirmed by Patrick Roy Do you think former Leaf Pierre Engvall will ever have a 20-goal season in the NHL? |
| Yes | 78 | 23.9 % |
| No | 248 | 76.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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