Islanders Add Forward Depth with Engvall Acquisition

With the New York Islanders in the middle of a playoff race, but dealing with an injury-riddled roster, Lou Lamoriello brought in a reinforcement on Tuesday afternoon,
acquiring Pierre Engvall from the Toronto Maple Leafs
.
The cost was a third-round pick in 2024, but Lamoriello's focus was on helping his team maintain its position as the first wild card. The Islanders currently hold the first wild card with 69 points, while Pittsburgh (67 points), Buffalo (66 points) and Detroit (64 points) all lurk with four or five games in hand.

"It's my job to give our group as best a chance to have some success," Lamoriello said. "With the recent injuries that we've had, we've certainly done everything that's expected and I think that this gives a little extra support."
The injuries Lamoriello is referring to are: Mathew Barzal, who is currently listed as week to week after suffering a lower-body injury on Feb. 18, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has been out with an upper-body injury since Feb. 11, Cal Clutterbuck and Oliver Wahlstrom, who have been out since January and December, respectively and are both out indefinitely. Pageau has resumed skating, per Lamoriello, while Barzal has not.

Engvall's acquisition should help bolster the Islanders forward depth and Lamoriello cited his versatility as a strength of his game. The GM said Engvall can play all three forward positions if needed, but he's primarily a winger and a big-bodied one at that, standing 6'5, 219 lbs.
"Pierre is a very versatile player," Lamoriello said. "He'll bring a dimension that he can play any one of the forward positions. Probably his biggest asset is his skating ability. He's got a long reach being 6'5, 220 lbs."
7 FACTS: PIERRE ENGVALL
"We're extremely pleased and he'll be in town tomorrow," Lamoriello added.
Lamoriello has familiarity with Engvall dating back to their time in Toronto. Engvall was drafted by the Leafs in 2014, and while he didn't make the move to North America until the end of the 2017-18 season, where he helped the Toronto Marlies win a Calder Cup, Lamoriello had watched his progression in Sweden. Islanders Goaltending Coach Piero Greco was also with Engvall in the AHL during the Calder Cup run. He made his NHL debut the following season and has 83 points (42G, 41A in 226 games in the NHL - all with the Maple Leafs.

"It's always helpful when you know the individual, but it's [about] his playing ability," Lamoriello said. "It's always great when you get a great individual too and he's a combination of both in my mind."
Lamoriello said it was premature to start talking about contract extensions, as Engvall is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
"We'll take one thing at a time," Lamoriello said. "He's certainly an individual that you'd like to keep in your organization. Certainly, with the style he plays and his speed. I can't overemphasize his speed."