Can the New York Islanders move on from Pierre Engvall ?

Pierre Engvall was a bright spot for the New York Islanders when he arrived in 2022-23. He had nine points in 18 games. 

After that short stint and a short-lived playoff run, Engvall received a seven-year, $21 million deal to keep him on Long Island. Originally, fans were happy to keep Engvall a part of the squad, the only issue was the length of the deal. Nobody thought giving a player of Engvall's caliber a seven-year deal would be smart. 

The first year didn’t go too bad. Engvall had 10 goals, and 18 assists for 28 points. That's the second-highest point total of his career. Why would the Islanders put him on waivers after a successful season? 

Engvall is not a Patrick Roy type of player. He lacks motivation and isn’t aggressive in the corners. Those are two key things that a player of Engvall’s caliber must have. 

Engvall needs a wake up call

Engvall has a very poor showing this preseason, he worked his way out of a top-six role and even out of the lineup. The first shocker came when the Islanders placed the Swedish forward on waivers and it was official that he didn’t crack the opening night roster for the club. 

With Engvall now being sent to Bridgeport the question becomes will he be moved? 

The issue with his contract is not the cap hit, it's the term. This contract will be difficult for the blue and orange to move and it will likely take some sort of draft pick attached to get any type of deal done. 

The only taker I think there could be is the division rival Columbus Blue Jackets. The CBJ were the worst team in the Metro division last season and it looks like this year things will be the same. The Blue Jackets need bodies and NHL-caliber players who could play on their NHL team. They are also very close to the cap floor. 

A player like Engvall could solve those problems for the squad. He has a reasonable cap hit for a player of his caliber and could help the Blue Jackets get a bit more comfortable above the cap floor and could be a solid bottom-six option for a young team. Columbus would also get some sort of draft pick as part of the deal. 

Do you think this is something that could happen?