With Islanders Forward Pierre Engvall Passing Through Waivers, What Happens Next?
Pierre Engvall, who has six years remaining on his deal, cleared waivers on Monday.
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Pierre Engvall, who has six years remaining on his contract at $3 million annually, cleared waivers on Monday. He is expected to report to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League or his contract will be terminated.
With Engvall in Bridgeport, the New York Islanders are on the hook for $1.85 million of his $3 million annual cap hit.
Per the CBA, a team can only bury a maximum of $1.15 million in the AHL.
Hudson Fasching, Fredrik Karlstrom, Liam Foudy, Samuel Bolduc, Grant Hutton, Marcus Hogberg, and Jakub Skarek also cleared waivers.
There’s no way the Swedish forward remains in Bridgeport for the next six seasons.
Something will have to give, one way or another, so let’s dive into the options that await Engvall and the Islanders:
Engvall Remains In Bridgeport & Waits For Next Opportunity With Islanders
It's not ideal for the Islanders to pay Engvall to sit in Bridgeport, but placing him on waivers was the correct move.
And there are two ways his stint in Bridgeport can go.
He either uses the demotion as fuel to find consistency in his game and put himself at the top of the call-up depth chart, or he becomes a disaster and falls out of favor with the organization.
Engvall is an NHL player. Let's not pretend that he isn't. But his lack of aggression and inability to play a bottom-six role makes him a non-option right now.
Engvall Gets Traded
Although the Islanders would have loved someone to take on the final six years of Engvall’s deal at $3 million annually, it was unrealistic to think teams would do so without getting something in return.
When the team moved Josh Bailey and the final year of his deal at the 2023 NHL Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks, clearing $5 million off the books, they had to attach a 2023 second-round pick.
That's not to say moving Engvall would cost a second-round pick, but the ask could be as high as a third, which is what they gave the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline (2024 third-round pick) to acquire Engvall.
Teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks are three teams to keep an eye on if a trade is on the horizon.
Engvall Gets Bought Out
Buying out a player is always a last resort because of the cap penalty.
But because Engvall’s cap hit isn’t anything crazy, a buyout could certainly be in the cards, whether it’s right now or before the start of the 2025-26 season.
If they are looking to move Engvall, the Islanders' goal would be to trade him and get most, if not all, of his cap off the books before even thinking about a buyout.
If Engvall is bought out right now: $1 million cap hit in each of the next 12 seasons.
If Engvall is bought out next season: $1 million cap hit in each of the next 10 seasons.
A buyout will save the Islanders $2 million annually.
The cap penalty is small, but the Islanders have players to pay after this season.
Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, along with veterans Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, are entering the final year of their deals.
Don’t forget that rookie Maxim Tsyplakov signed a one-year entry-level deal worth $950,000.
Engvall and the Bridgeport Islanders open their regular season on Saturday, Oct 12 at at home against the Providence Bruins, with puck drop at 7 PM ET.
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I hope Lou gets Dobson and Romanov signed for 8 years each before season. Neither wants to go anywhere else, and that’s a blessing. Dobson 8 X 9 9-9.5Romanov 5 X8 -5.5.
I’m sure he’ll be back. A little wake up call and then someone gets hurt. The speed is useful, hopefully he takes this constructively and works on his game while down there.