Pierre Engvall is making it impossible for the NY Islanders to keep him in the AHL

Going into the season, the New York Islanders saw Pierre Engvall as a depth piece. Someone who could either be in the AHL or a healthy scratch who can fill a role in the bottom six when injuries occur. Sure, it is not the role the Islanders envisioned when they signed him to a seven-year deal with a $3 million average annual value. But given he missed all of last season due to hip and ankle surgery, the fact that he is giving the Islanders any value is a win.

But through the first six weeks of the season, he has been on a tear. In 16 games with the Hamilton Hammers, he has racked up five goals and eight assists for 13 points. That is nearly a point-per-game pace. He is tied with Liam Foudy for the team lead in goals, and is second in both assists and points. If Engvall continues to play like this, it is going to be very hard to keep him in the AHL. He deserves to be called up to the NHL.

Pierre Engvall can give the Islanders offense the boost they need

One of the biggest issues the Islanders have had early on this season has been their offense. They are currently averaging 2.94 goals for per game, which is the 12th lowest in the NHL. With the Islanders' goaltending and defense being in the top ten, a few more goals can turn losses into wins. One of the reasons the offense has been so poor is the performance of the power play. They are converting on only 16.4% of power-play opportunities this season. The sixth-lowest in the NHL.

These are two areas that Engvall can improve on. He would provide some much-needed offense to the Islanders' bottom six. The majority of the line combinations they have rolled out have scored fewer than two goals each this season. Engvall can use his heavy shot and his skating ability to create offensive chances and put the puck in the back of the net. Engvall has also shown the ability to play all three forward positions, which provides flexibility to their line combination.

Engvall has also found some success on the power play this season. Two of his five goals have come on the man advantage this season. That is tied with Mitchell Chaffe and Quinn Finley for second most on the Hammers. Sure, he is not going to be placed on the top unit, but why not throw him on the second unit and see if that success can translate to the NHL. It is a low-risk, high-reward move that can fix the Isles' problems.

Now Engvall may not be the permanent solution for the Islanders' offense. They will need to go outside the organization and make trades in order to fix the problem. But Engvall can give it enough of a spark to hold them over until the trade deadline.

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