Can Pierre Engvall force his way onto the New York Islanders roster?

The New York Islanders have an interesting decision to make when it comes to Pierre Engvall. Engvall missed all of last season with an injury and will try to make the team out of training camp this upcoming season. 

Engvall could add much needed speed to the Islanders bottom six, but is it really beneficial to have him on the team? The winger earns $3 million this season and has three years left on his deal after this upcoming year. If the blue and orange send him down to the AHL it will save $1.225 million on its salary cap.

Patrick Roy wasn’t a fan of Engvall. He never inserted him into the lineup and he would barely play him if he was in the lineup. With Pete DeBoer this is a chance for a fresh start. Engvall is one of the fastest skaters on the team and could be useful for DeBoer’s system. 

I have a tough time thinking Engvall could open the season in the lineup, but I do think he’s a useful depth piece. The Islanders don’t need him to be a top six player like they did in Engvall’s first two seasons with the squad. Instead, Engvall could flourish in the bottom six, which is the role he played when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The Swedish winger is on the outside looking in as we head into training camp. The Islanders have a log jam at forward. There are other players fighting for roster spots like Victor Eklund or Anthony Duclair that I believe would make the roster over Engvall.

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