Islanders make sneaky good trade with Maple Leafs
The New York Islanders have already made their big splash this trade season, but they made a deal on Tuesday that should not be overlooked.
For several seasons, New York has made its living on defense, flustering even the NHL’s most prolific offenses. The problem is that the Isles have not been able to score enough goals to contend for a championship.
Their trade a few weeks ago for Bo Horvat was certainly designed to overcome that flaw, and now, with only a couple of days until the 2023 trade deadline, the Islanders have acquired another player to help improve their overall scoring.
The Islanders will hope Engvall can provide them with depth scoring.
Pierre Engvall is the player making the move to New York after he was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs for a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 26-year-old is in his fourth NHL season. In 58 games this year, Engvall has recorded 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points. Last season, he set career-highs in games played (78), goals (15), assists (20), points (35), and plus-minus (plus-13).
Engvall has by no means established himself as a superstar in the NHL, but he has become a regular in the lineup and should provide the Islanders with a quality depth scoring option.
His 12 goals will be tied for sixth on New York’s roster when he joins the team, making him an exciting addition to the lineup. Again, he’s not a flashy acquisition, but not all acquisitions need to be flashy to be effective.
The Islanders have been in desperate need of offense from the top of the lineup to the bottom. Therefore, they don’t need him to be a 50-goal scorer, they just need him to be a contributor in a middle-six or bottom-six role. He’s proven that he can do that.
His ability to contribute to New York’s offense will be especially key in the absence of Mat Barzal, as the Islanders are in a tight battle for a playoff position in the Eastern Conference and will need all the help they can get.
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Engvall can become a free agent after this season, but for now, the hope is that having him in the mix will help the Isles return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.