Opinion: The NY Islanders must re-sign Pierre Engvall at all costs

In late February, the NY Islanders acquired Pierre Engvall from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2024 third-round pick in the NHL Draft. It was a deadline deal that worked exactly as GM Lou Lamoriello had hoped, with the long and lean Engvall adding scoring depth to the top-nine forward group.

In the 2019-20 season, Engvall would first make his presence felt for the Maple Leafs. While he wouldn't put up any crazy numbers, Engvall finished with 15 points off of eight goals and seven assists in just 48 games - strong numbers for a rookie season.

It wasn't until the 2021-22 season that we would see Engvall break out. He played in a career-high 78 games and tallied 35 points off of 15 goals, and 20 assists. When Engvall came to the Islanders this season, he wasted little time providing for them on the scoresheet. Engvall would finish the regular season with nine points in total on five goals and four assists in just 18 games played with the team.

The Islanders must re-sign Pierre Engvall this offseason

While Engvall may have had a quiet Stanley Cup Playoff showing, he was certainly not alone in that aspect as the whole team failed to show up, minus Ilya Sorokin. In their six games played, Engvall would tally just two points off of one goal and one assist, both in Game 5, but this is certainly not a sign of things to come for Engvall.

Engvall came to New York and had zero trouble fitting right in. He played smart and hard, was insanely quick, and was a responsible two-way forward, an often overlooked part of his game but a role he excelled in while with the Maple Leafs. Engvall also showed he was a good defensive forward as well, not losing his man and blocking shots when he was able to.

Aside from Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, the Islanders have few agile and quick players. However, Engvall certainly adds to the agility of the team, especially when you're playing in the metro division with a lot of quick teams. In many fans' eyes, the acquisition of Engvall looks much better than that of Horvat, especially recently.

"He’s certainly an individual that you’d like to keep in your organization with the style he plays and his speed. I can’t overemphasize his speed."

Lou Lamoriello on Pierre Engvall

While the Isles have their hands full with UFA decisions this offseason, Engvall should be at the top of that list. Right now, his cap hit sits at $2.25 million, and he will absolutely get that much if not more in a new multi-year deal.

The question is, is he worth it? For me, the answer is absolutely.