Confirmed with Link: [TOR/NYI] Pierre Engvall traded to NYI in exchange for a 2024 3rd Round Pick

[Fogelhund]

He looked good in those highlights but I wonder if Lou sat him down and had a nice chat with him or the change of scenery was enough. I would not have signed him for what Kyle did and gone after somebody like Acciari last summer. I won't miss him but don't mind seeing him do well on the Island.

Offensively, Engvall was always a better player, and always will be better than Acciari. Even on the PK he's probably better too... but we need some of what Acciari brings in the lineup as well. Engvall's pay is pretty in line with what he brings. It's a change we needed to make.

 

[ULF_55]

Leafs fanbase has a huge irrational portion, who always need to be angry at someone. Engvall was one of them. He's a decent player, but perhaps we just needed a change, and maybe even Engvall did. It's nice that he's had three goals, in three games, but clearly 50% shooting isn't sustainable, and he'll likely fade back to a normal average and do nothing for a bit at some point.

Yep, no player is shooting 50%.
Heck, it's surprising Kuzmenko is still above 27% for the season.
Nelson at 15.1% is best on the Islanders.
Engvall seems to have a very good shot, and catches goalies unaware.
It is drive that seems to be lacking.

 

[Rehabguy]

Leafs fanbase has a huge irrational portion, who always need to be angry at someone.

Some Isles fans are the same way so that's nothing new. A bunch of greasy rats if you ask me. Others are pretty cool though.

Offensively, Engvall was always a better player, and always will be better than Acciari. Even on the PK he's probably better too... but we need some of what Acciari brings in the lineup as well. Engvall's pay is pretty in line with what he brings. It's a change we needed to make.

Sounds like a win win.

 

[Rehabguy]

It is drive that seems to be lacking.

Yes that was my concern as well. I was worried he was just going to be a big body out there floating around doing nothing. He's picked it up the past 3 games and he's only been here for a little more than week. I hope for my Isles sake he keeps it up.

 

[Buds17]

That is concerning. I hope they can resign him next year unless this is an aberration it looks like he can easily be a 2nd line player on the Isles. They don’t have enough of these offensive minded players on the team.

I find it more likely that he'll be best suited for a third line role over the long haul. Not sure about the production being there consistently enough for the top six, quality start aside.

 

[justashadowof]

To the Isles' fan above: he does possess a rocket of a shot and he skates like the wind. And he's got perfectly good NHL level puck skills. He's also perfectly capable of keeping himself clogging up the shooting lane on the penalty kill. Sounds great doesn't it? But he also plays like he's a slightly built superstar protecting himself from dangerous contact. It isn't that he doesn't really "finish his check" as the euphemism goes. It's the 10th time you see him lunge and reach on the forecheck instead of even just leaning or steering his opponent into the boards that you'll see what is missing from his game.

 

[ToneDog]

I find it more likely that he'll be best suited for a third line role over the long haul. Not sure about the production being there consistently enough for the top six, quality start aside.

For a guy who slept through the first month of the season, he might finish with 20 goals. That is elite 3rd line production. Never would have predicted that. Good for him if he gets there and gets another $2+m deal.

 

[Rehabguy]

To the Isles' fan above: he does possess a rocket of a shot and he skates like the wind. And he's got perfectly good NHL level puck skills. He's also perfectly capable of keeping himself clogging up the shooting lane on the penalty kill. Sounds great doesn't it? But he also plays like he's a slightly built superstar protecting himself from dangerous contact. It isn't that he doesn't really "finish his check" as the euphemism goes. It's the 10th time you see him lunge and reach on the forecheck instead of even just leaning or steering his opponent into the boards that you'll see what is missing from his game.

Yeah I hope some of the physical game the Isles play rubs off on him. We don't need him to be plastering people against the boards just to be in close contact with other players when need be and fighting hard along the boards not just lunging like he's trying to catch butterflies.

 

[leafsfan5]

Great fit for NYI, but I'm glad he's no longer a Leaf

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

My worry is we picked the wrong tweener to hold on to between Engvall and Kerfoot. Engvall is bigger, has a better goal scoring touch this season, and had great chemistry with Kampf. Engvall also hasn’t absolutely f***ed us in a playoff game the way Kerfoot did in Game 6 last year.

Frankly, both guys should’ve been shipped out but Kerfoot has a similar hold on this franchise the way Holl does.

 

[Buds17]

For a guy who slept through the first month of the season, he might finish with 20 goals. That is elite 3rd line production. Never would have predicted that. Good for him if he gets there and gets another $2+m deal.

I'm thinking his ceiling is a quality third liner that brings it defensively. Not bad at all, unless he somehow becomes significantly overpaid.

 

[justashadowof]

My worry is we picked the wrong tweener to hold on to between Engvall and Kerfoot. Engvall is bigger, has a better goal scoring touch this season, and had great chemistry with Kampf. Engvall also hasn’t absolutely f***ed us in a playoff game the way Kerfoot did in Game 6 last year.

Frankly, both guys should’ve been shipped out but Kerfoot has a similar hold on this franchise the way Holl does.

True, I'm still mad at that choke job Kerfoot pulled in Game 6 but Kerfoot will go to the dirty areas on occasion. Probably not the wrong decision.

 

[ULF_55]

Yeah I hope some of the physical game the Isles play rubs off on him. We don't need him to be plastering people against the boards just to be in close contact with other players when need be and fighting hard along the boards not just lunging like he's trying to catch butterflies.

Keep in mind, the Leafs until the trade deadline really didn't have much in the way of support for physical play.

Look at the Leafs line-up pre-deadline and tell me who was going to support physical play?

 

[notDatsyuk]

To the Isles' fan above: he does possess a rocket of a shot and he skates like the wind. And he's got perfectly good NHL level puck skills. He's also perfectly capable of keeping himself clogging up the shooting lane on the penalty kill. Sounds great doesn't it? But he also plays like he's a slightly built superstar protecting himself from dangerous contact. It isn't that he doesn't really "finish his check" as the euphemism goes. It's the 10th time you see him lunge and reach on the forecheck instead of even just leaning or steering his opponent into the boards that you'll see what is missing from his game.

True, but you could say the same about a lot of Leafs over the last few years.

I wonder how much is nature and how much is nurture (coaching).

 

[Zybalto]

Engvall had 0 goals and 4 assists in 17 playoff games with us.

Does anything else need to be said?

 

[DarkKnight]

Man, I’m so glad he’s gone.

He‘s fine with open ice, lazy defence, he disappears the moment the intensity increases and watching him lose board battles was maddening. He’s a liability come playoffs.

 

[ToneDog]

Man, I’m so glad he’s gone.

I would not mind Engvall over Kerfoot with this roster. As bad as Engvall was he has 2x Kerfoot's goals and at a much lower cap hit and Kerfoot is the same MEH player he has been all year.

 

[htpwn]

My worry is we picked the wrong tweener to hold on to between Engvall and Kerfoot. Engvall is bigger, has a better goal scoring touch this season, and had great chemistry with Kampf. Engvall also hasn’t absolutely f***ed us in a playoff game the way Kerfoot did in Game 6 last year.

Frankly, both guys should’ve been shipped out but Kerfoot has a similar hold on this franchise the way Holl does.

Kerfoot has a modified NTC and a considerably higher cap hit. So that may explain it, although I do agree that Kerfoot is like Holl: the Leafs organization seem very committed to them, even despite their glaring flaws.

I didn't mind the Engvall trade in a vacuum though. We needed to move cap to accomodate McCabe and ROR, he's a pending UFA, he was going to get a raise that we couldn't afford, and a 3rd round pick is a decent return for his contract status and calibre of player.

The bigger problem was the fact that the pick was parlayed into acquiring a 9th D, for some reason.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

My worry is we picked the wrong tweener to hold on to between Engvall and Kerfoot. Engvall is bigger, has a better goal scoring touch this season, and had great chemistry with Kampf. Engvall also hasn’t absolutely f***ed us in a playoff game the way Kerfoot did in Game 6 last year.

Frankly, both guys should’ve been shipped out but Kerfoot has a similar hold on this franchise the way Holl does.

I find Engvall is a guy that's safe player but was never going to be that guy in the playoffs for us to elevate his play. Kerfoot is at least a try hard that will go to any area on the ice and for the most part has been a decent contributor in the playoffs. Even with his couple of F**k ups. Kerfoot in his 19 playoff games with us has 11 pts while being a solid PKer. In Engvall's 17 playoff games he has 4 pts

 

[DarkKnight]

I would not mind Engvall over Kerfoot with this roster. As bad as Engvall was he has 2x Kerfoot's goals and at a much lower cap hit and Kerfoot is the same MEH player he has been all year.

Kerfoot is maddening, but he’s shown well in the playoffs before, so I preferred him to Engvall. It’s a tough call though lol.

 

[ER89]

Yeah I hope some of the physical game the Isles play rubs off on him. We don't need him to be plastering people against the boards just to be in close contact with other players when need be and fighting hard along the boards not just lunging like he's trying to catch butterflies.

if it does - congrats you have a helluva player.

But honestly, and this isn't me wishing ill for the dude or for you guys - he's such a f***ing p***y. Like holy shit, this dude is like 6 foot a gazillion playing like hes barely four foot 100lbs soaking wet.

Absolutely infuriating as a player.

 

[fahad203]

I am glad Engvall is gone
He'll get you 20 goals, he has that capability. Problem is he never fully utilizes his full capability

He did very little to push the agenda. He'll be one of those players who will always leave you wanting more

Good for him to get the start he has with Islanders. All the best to him. But it was time to move on and get a different look for both sides

 

[kevsh]

eah I hope some of the physical game the Isles play rubs off on him.

Please, if it happens provide video.
I'll immediately run out and start stockpiling canned goods and survival gear as it'll surely be one of the seven signs of the apocalypse.

In all seriousness, I hope the trade works out. As above posters have pointed out, has lots of tools but as a fan, just can't get past how pathologically soft he is. Like some mental block so entrenched that coaches and psychologists have just given up trying to cure.

 

[Future]

We now have fans from other teams coming to the Leafs board to boast about their third line forward acquisition after he played 3 good games. Especially hilarious because he was benched the entire third period in the game prior to this stretch, if you can even call it that.

Don’t get me wrong, I preferred him to Kerfoot. But what the heck are we doing here?

 

[Rehabguy]

Keep in mind, the Leafs until the trade deadline really didn't have much in the way of support for physical play.

Look at the Leafs line-up pre-deadline and tell me who was going to support physical play?

Reading all the responses here the lack of physicality was the glaring need on the Leaf's roster so the trade made perfect sense. He plays a very similar style game as our own Brock Nelson who doesn't tend to hit much but our team needed more Brock Nelsons so he was a perfect fit for us and he looks like he has more of scoring role to play. I kind of think though, that he's being set up as a scape goat for the Leaf's lack of physicality particularly because he looks like he could play the part, but that's just not his game and that was obvious from the first day I watched him play. The Isles don't need someone who is physical, we needed a skill player with speed and he so far he fits the bill perfectly.