The Toronto Maple Leafs confirmed that the team has traded forward Pierre Engvall to the New York Islanders for a third-round selection in 2024. After already trading away defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals earlier this afternoon, the Maple Leafs send another player out the door. Headed for unrestricted free agency at the conclusion of this season, Engvall adds another large and imposing forward to the mix for the Islanders. Standing at 6’5″, Engvall becomes a valuable player that the Islanders will now have on their roster.
As likely the team and fan base with the most desperation for Lord Stanley’s glory, GM Kyle Dubas continues to cultivate the Maple Leafs into an even more legitimate Stanley Cup threat. After having already acquired players such as Ryan O’Reilly, Jake McCabe, and Erik Gustafsson in various moves, Dubas was able to create even more flexibility for the Maple Leafs with this move. Set to become a free agent at season’s end, Engvall was on a one-year, $2.25MM contract this year. Drafted in the seventh round by the Maple Leafs in the 2014 NHL Draft, Engvall became one of the better depth forwards for the team over the course of the last several seasons. Scoring a career-high 35 points last year, Engvall will have the ability to show off his skill with another team in the playoff hunt.
Immediately becoming one of the tallest forwards on the team, Engvall will allow the Islanders to employ an even more imposing offense. Having already supplemented their goal-scoring issues with the acquisition of Bo Horvat earlier this year, Engvall takes more of a defensive approach to the game. With a Corsi-for above 50% in the last two seasons, Engvall’s team was controlling the puck more with him on the ice. One of the more defensively sound teams in the game, the Islanders will benefit from adding another forward who fits their mold and style of play.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report that Pierre Engvall was headed to the Islanders.
don’t love this move. I get the leafs needed to move salary but Engvall has been a good player who was just given a bad contract impossible to live up to playing 3rd line minutes. clearly he has more value than kerfoot
I don’t know about ‘clearly has more value’. He has different value, different contract, different size, and teams may be more eager to pick him up for all his differences.
Engvall is skilled, but can be more passive and doesn’t have as much utility to take draws, use his speed or his large frame to hit anyone. He doesn’t shoot much better and isn’t much of a passer.
Is Holl getting traded now? Can’t stand him
He also has hands of stone and no finish.
I’d love to have the hands of Mark Stone
He was out the door after the season. Rather have Ponus.
Is Holl getting traded now?? Please say yes!
Dude’s a giveaway machine.
Yup he’s gotta be off the depth chart now basically
Hard to call Engvall “large and imposing.” Yes, he’s 6’5” but rarely does he play up to that size.
Reminds me a bit of former Leaf, Alexei Ponikarovsky. A mountain of a man who never figured out how to use his size to his advantage, which really limited his ceiling.
All-in-all, the Leafs can’t complain too much about Engvall considering he was a 7th round pick.
This was supposed to be purely a cap move for Murray. Nice piece of work to recoup a 3rd that you had previously traded away.
Only lasted this long because Keefe. Dubas and keefe need success or they are gone.
Need to get rid of Holl he has no spot in the lineup now with McCabe and Gustafsson and now Schenn