The waivers were announced this week and most went unnoticed but one stood out like a sore thumb. Pierre Engvall was placed on waivers and he’ll start the 2024-25 season on the New York Islanders’ American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Bridgeport Islanders. He couldn’t beat out multiple skaters for starting jobs and for head coach Patrick Roy, there was no role for him on the roster.
Related: New York Islanders’ 2024-25 Stat Predictions
The recent news is a reflection on general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello and how the way he operates often sets the Islanders back. He acquired Engvall at the 2023 Trade Deadline and signed him to a seven-year contract in the 2023 offseason. At the time, the deal looked like a good one, especially since the average annual value (AAV) was only $3 million for a 27-year-old forward who could play both the center and wing positions. Now, it looks like a disastrous deal to go along with Lamoriello’s other poor decisions in the 2023 offseason.
Engvall Flopped Following Signing
Engvall displayed all the skill sets to become a reliable top-six forward when he was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs. His speed and sharp shooting from the wing allowed him to score five goals and four assists in 18 games after the trade deadline to will the Islanders to the playoffs in 2023. The next season, he struggled to find a role in the forward unit. He never took advantage of Brock Nelson’s passes and on the Jean-Gabriel Pageau line, he was a non-factor.
When Roy was hired, that didn’t change. Engvall never generated much offense and wasn’t a valuable part of the forward unit. He played 74 games in 2024-25 and only scored 10 goals while adding 18 assists. On top of that, he couldn’t defend, leaving him no place in the bottom six.
Simon Holmstrom and Matt Martin, who were brought in on professional tryout contracts (PTO) after multiple seasons with the team, are slated to play on the third and fourth line because they can forecheck and defend. Engvall’s inability to do either is why he’s not on the roster to begin the season and why Lamoriello particularly didn’t want him to make the cut.
This brings up the question of why Lamoriello signed him in the 2023 offseason and to a seven-year deal at that. Engvall’s a fast skater but he struggles on the defensive end of the ice and if he fails to form chemistry with his linemates (as 2023-24 proved), he’s a weak link offensively as well. The argument can be made that he’s a scorer and Lamoriello loves scoring but even so, Engvall didn’t have a great track record as a scorer. He only scored 15 goals or more in a season twice and one of those seasons was the one he was traded.
Engvall is at a low point in his career as he’s in the AHL for the first time since he was a prospect. That said, he still has time to improve and become a key part of the NHL roster. The same can’t be said about the other big signing Lamoriello gave out that offseason.
Lamoriello Signed a Declining Mayfield
The Scott Mayfield contract had glaring red flags on it the moment it was handed out. He was 30 when he signed and on the decline. On top of that, he was no longer a key part of the defensive unit and playing a second or third-pair role. Giving him a two or three-year deal would have been questionable but manageable. Lamoriello gave him a seven-year deal.
The first season under that contract couldn’t have gone any worse than it did. Mayfield struggled and battled injuries, making him a liability on the ice. By the time the season ended, he wasn’t in the lineup. There are two ways of looking at his struggles from last season. Either he wasn’t healthy and playing injured, or he’s starting to decline and the best is in the rearview mirror, making the contract look like a concerning one.
There’s a hope that Mayfield bounces back and plays the full season without any lingering injuries. The problem is that Lamoriello signed a defenseman who at best, is a second pair option. It’s more puzzling considering the Islanders have other younger defensemen who have played the third pair in recent seasons and have done a respectable job at that. By not signing Mayfield, the Islanders would have been able to pivot.
This is part of the give and take of Lamoriello’s style as a GM. He signed Mayfield to a seven-year deal yet also extended Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat to eight-year deals. He rewards loyalty where players who buy into the team benefit with long-term deals and Mayfield certainly earned his contract based on how he played in the previous seasons, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Semifinal in 2020 and 2021.
However, this contract stands out as the one that can come back to haunt Lamoriello. A buyout might be on the table this offseason and whether it’s Lamoriello or another GM, someone might have to pull the plug on this contract.
The Varlamov Contract is Paying Off… For Now
The other big signing Lamoriello handed out in the 2023 offseason was the four-year contract to Semyon Varlamov. He was 35 when it was signed which understandably raised concerns about how well that move would age. He played up to the contract in the first season of the deal.
Varlamov stepped up and willed the Islanders to the playoffs, filling in as the starter in the final stretch of the regular season to help the team string together a few wins. He proved that even while he’s past his prime, he can provide the team with a great goaltending duo, which they need to succeed.
The downside is that Varlamov is 36 heading into the new season. It’s doubtful that he’ll play at a starting caliber level for much longer and a decline appears on the horizon. The Islanders must brace for the shoe (or skate) to drop at any point and suddenly, they must scramble to find a reliable backup for Ilya Sorokin.
What Lamoriello Should Have Done Instead in 2023
The cynical answer is that Lamoriello should have done literally anything else instead of re-signing Engvall, Mayfield, and Varlamov. The problem is there weren’t many other intriguing options. The free agency class wasn’t great in the 2023 offseason and there weren’t many skaters he could have signed who would move the needle.
At the same time, Lamoriello would be better off if he didn’t sign all three players. If he didn’t, the Islanders add $10 million in salary cap space to work with. Even if he signed Engvall and Varlamov to short-term deals at $3 million AAV each, that still leaves the Islanders with $4 million to sign a valuable depth skater.
The other option was for Lamoriello to make a trade with the cap space to spare. Alex DeBrincat and Tyler Toffoli were both traded that offseason and the Islanders could’ve made a move for either if they had the cap space. Sure DeBrincat was inevitably going to go to the Detroit Red Wings and the Toffoli deal flopped for the New Jersey Devils, but the Islanders were never serious contenders for either skater and they could have made a run at one of them if they didn’t re-sign the trio of veterans.
Lamoriello’s tenure, for the most part, has been a successful one with the Islanders. One of his best attributes is playing it safe and one of the ways to do that is by keeping the roster intact. Ironically, that’s what backfired in the 2023 offseason. It’s what will stand out, not as a lasting impression but as a time that fans will look back on as a reason the Islanders remain one step short. They will likely sneak into the playoffs or be a good but not great team this season and part of it will be because of the summer of 2023.
