New York Islanders general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello made some mid-season trade acquisitions during the 2022-23 season. On Jan. 30, he acquired Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks, then went on to add depth forward Pierre Engvall in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The addition of Engvall was seen as a move by Lamoriello to bring in some much-needed offensive depth for the upcoming playoff push, possibly just a rental player. Now, after the 81-year-old GM broke his silence and met with media for the first time since the club’s first-round playoff elimination, it is apparent that he intends to retain Engvall’s services by signing the pending unrestricted free agent (UFA).
Lamoriello Intent On Re-Signing Pierre Engvall
After quickly dismissing any notions that he or head coach Lane Lambert would not be returning to the Islanders for the upcoming season, Lamoriello re-iterated that his current priorities are to attempt to bring back their pending free agents. “Our intention is to look at the people that we know first and feel that we’d like back,” Lamoriello said. “We certainly would like Scott back and certainly Engvall, Zach, and Varlamov. Right on the record. They are priorities.”
Related: Islanders Should Pursue Free Agent Vladimir Tarasenko
It doesn’t come as a huge shock that Lamoriello would like to see Engvall remain with the Islanders, as he fit in seamlessly with the group after coming over from the Maple Leafs. The 27-year-old forward found himself playing on the second line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. The line quickly became their most reliable source of offence down the final stretch of the season and helped the club earn a return to postseason action after missing the playoffs in the previous campaign.
One issue is the ability to re-sign each of his free agents while remaining cap compliant for the start of the 2023-24 season. Clearly, the willingness is there to bring Engvall back, however, at what cost remains to be seen.
What Engvall Brought to the Islanders
As previously mentioned, Engvall fit in seamlessly following his trade to Long Island, forming a solid line with Nelson and Palmieri. Through 58 games with the Maple Leafs, he had 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points, good for a 0.36 points-per-game (PPG) average. After the trade, he scored five goals and four assists for nine points in just 18 games with the Islanders. He had a 0.50 PPG and was scoring at a rate of 0.27 goals per game which would put him on pace for a career-high 23 goals over the course of an 82-game season. Needless to say, Engvall produced offensively at the best rate of his career during the short sample size with the Islanders.
More importantly, Engvall provided just what Lamoriello was looking for when he acquired him, some offensive depth for a club whose offensive struggles were well-documented throughout the season. He also posted the best possession metrics of his career with the Islanders as his Corsi For percentage rose from 52.9 in Toronto to 57.5 during his stint on Long Island. Standing at 6-foot-5, the Swedish forward also brought some size to the Islanders’ lineup.
How Much is Too Much For Engvall and the Islanders?
Although Engvall played a larger role with the Islanders than he has previously played during his four-year NHL career, should he re-sign with the club, it is more likely that he will return as a third-line forward. When looking at similar players across the NHL, it seems that a contract in the range of $3-4 million on the open market isn’t out of the question. For instance, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nick Paul provided similar production to Engvall last season with 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points in 80 games. In similar circumstances to Engvall this season, Paul cashed in with the Lightning after being acquired at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline as a pending UFA. He signed a seven-year, $22 million contract carrying an annual cap hit of $3.15 million.
Another similar contract to look at is forward Barclay Goodrow of the New York Rangers. They signed Goodrow to a six-year, $21.85 million contract, which carries a cap hit of $3,641,667, according to Capfriendly.com. His production this past season also mirrors Engvall’s as he had 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 82 games.
With these comparisons in mind, the $3-4 million range seems like a legitimate value for Engvall’s next contract. With just $5,336,667 in cap space, it will take some work from the Hall of Fame GM to sign Engvall as well as defenceman Scott Mayfield and goaltender Semyon Varlamov before the puck drops for the 2023-24 season. If Engvall is willing to sign for $2.8-3.2 million, the Islanders could very well swing that, however, anything above may be too much of an ask for a career bottom-six forward.
The Bottom Line
Despite Engvall’s fit with the Islanders and Lamoriello’s intentions to bring the depth forward back into the fold, he may command too much for the club to offer. It may come down to a choice between Mayfield and Engvall, as the Islanders likely won’t be able to re-sign both without shedding some salary via trade before free agency opens on July 1. Mayfield clearly sits outside of the club’s top-four defensive corps, which could sway Lamoriello more in the direction of prioritizing Engvall’s return to an offensive group that needs all the depth it can get going into next season. Look for the Islanders to get a deal done with the forward that is fair both to the team and the player in the coming weeks.
