Islanders waive Pierre Engvall with $18 million left on contract

The Islanders’ roster information got here with a stunner.

Pierre Engvall, who nonetheless has six years and $18 million left on his contract, was amongst these positioned on waivers because the Islanders jettisoned a lot of gamers to get all the way down to 22 on the roster.

If he clears waivers, which is probably going, Engvall will begin the season in AHL Bridgeport.

Although the 28-year-old had a foul coaching camp and had been clearly overwhelmed out by others, Engvall’s contract appeared to make it extra seemingly that he would begin the season as a wholesome scratch, with the possibility to make it again into the fold quickly.

As a substitute, Lou Lamoriello and Patrick Roy determined to position a premium on accountability and make an instance of Engvall, who put forth an inconsistent effort stage all through final season and through camp, by sending him down.

Hudson Fasching, Fredrik Karlstrom, Liam Foudy, Samuel Bolduc, Grant Hutton, Marcus Hogberg and Jakub Skarek had been positioned on waivers as nicely.

Meaning Julien Gauthier, Oliver Wahlstrom and Dennis Cholowski will begin the season on the roster, which may solely match 22 gamers as a result of the Islanders are up in opposition to the wage cap.

The plan can also be for Matt Martin, who’s on a PTO, to remain on his contract and apply with the Islanders.

Firstly of camp, Engvall, who had 10 objectives and 18 assists in 74 video games final season, was not even thought-about to be preventing for a spot.

Although he was made a wholesome scratch beneath each Lane Lambert and Patrick Roy, he spent a lot of the yr on the second line, mixing moments of effectiveness with lengthy stretches of inconsistency.

He began camp on the third line with Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau — a trio that had success when collectively within the playoffs — and Roy talked about wanting to maintain them collectively.

However after Engvall was unnoticed of a costume rehearsal preseason recreation in opposition to the Flyers on Monday, it seemed like he would wish to battle for a lineup spot on opening night time.

It turned out, he wanted to battle for a roster spot — and he misplaced.

It’s a near-guarantee that Engvall, who additionally has a 16-team no-trade clause, is not going to be claimed on waivers.

If it wasn’t already, his contract will now go down as one of many worst in franchise historical past, and a mistake that the Islanders could possibly be coping with for fairly a very long time.

If Engvall is purchased out, he would value the Islanders $1 million yearly by 2035; if not, they are going to be coping with a $3 million hit by 2030.

With the wage cap not flat, that’s not essentially the whole monetary catastrophe it might need been a couple of years in the past.

However until Engvall can work his means again from the AHL right into a stable and reliable participant, it’s a unhealthy unforced error.