Duclair injury gives Pierre Engvall another bite at the apple

New York Islanders winger Pierre Engvall is back up with the big club following a brief stint in Bridgeport. But Engvall’s second bite at the apple is not the result of him earning another shot at the NHL. It’s a move born out of necessity.

The opportunity presented itself when Anthony Duclair went down with a lower-body injury. Fortunately, the injury is not significant enough to warrant major time off the ice. But the injury was serious enough to prompt the Isles to place Duclair on LTIR.

That move opened the door for Engvall’s return.

Still, Engvall wasn’t the first man up. It was Liam Foudy who got the call instead. But after two largely inconsequential games for Foudy, the Isles chose to recall Engvall along with Hudson Fasching. These two much-maligned players are what Isles’ management hopes can be the spark to an offensive turnaround.

Therein lies the matter in question. Engvall must prove he belongs in the NHL. Otherwise, he will not only get sent down again. But this time, it could lead to a trade.

Now, we’ve speculated quite a bit as to what destinations could be on the horizon for Engvall. But that’s not the pressing point at the moment. The major issue is that Engvall has been gifted another chance at proving he’s worth the six-year deal he signed a couple of seasons ago.

Pierre Engvall not Patrick Roy’s first choice

As my colleagues here at Eyes on Isles have pointed out, bringing Pierre Engvall back was GM Lou Lamoriello’s decision. That decision doesn’t seem to jive with Patrick Roy’s vision for this team.

It’s been noted that Engvall is not the typical worker bee-type player that Roy values. Engvall is more of a smooth skater who could do well with a puck-possession-heavy team. Unfortunately for Engvall, he hasn’t proven he could be a significant piece in a system like that, either.

In fact, the series of moves made ahead of the Isles’ game against the Florida Panthers last Saturday night signal that there could be a rift between Roy and Lamoriello. That situation begs the question: How will Patrick Roy handle the lineup he’s given?

In the meantime, placing Engvall and Fasching on the fourth line does add an interesting dimension to that group. However, that arrangement doesn’t seem to leave much room for newly-signed Matt Martin and Oliver Wahlstrom.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, here, but it seems that the New York Islanders are firing shots in every direction, hoping they’ll find the target somewhere.

The fact of the matter is that Engvall is far from the answer the Isles need. Roy understands this situation. So, it’s quite hard to imagine that Engvall, who had one goal in six games at Bridgeport, could be the answer to the Isles’ current woes.

Perhaps I’m wrong and Engvall turns a corner. But until that’s the case, there’s no guarantee the Isles will find a quick fix to their scoring woes.