The New York Islanders really need more goals if they want to have better results. Pierre Engvall and Jean-Gabriel Pageau must be part of the solution, says Adam Proteau.
The NHL Hot Seat Radar series continues with the New York Islanders.
We're looking at players on the 'hot seat' as people facing notable pressure to generate great results or deal with the ramifications. We’re also pointing out a person on the 'cold seat' as someone secure in their relationship with their current NHL team.
Islanders’ Hot Seat: (tie) Pierre Engvall, LW, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C
One of the main reasons why the Islanders were one of the NHL's last teams to clinch a playoff spot and one of the first to get eliminated last season is the lack of production from some of their well-paid, veteran forwards. The Islanders ranked 22nd in the NHL in goals-for last season, with 245.
Pageau posted only 11 goals and 33 points in 82 games, while Engvall had just 10 goals and 28 points in 74 games.
Given that Pageau has two more seasons on his contract at a $5-million cap hit and that Engvall has four seasons left at $3 million per year, that type of production simply isn’t good enough.
We canvassed The Hockey News' Islanders site contributor Stefen Rosner about the Islanders’ hot seat this year, in which he mentioned Engvall specifically. Rosner said Engvall began the season on the Isles’ second line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri but ended up on the third line with Anders Lee and Pageau. With Lee having a $7-million cap hit, paying $15 million per year for your third line is not ideal.
The Islanders do have some good performers who should provide the bulk of scoring, such as Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri and Mathew Barzal. But the underwhelming production from Pageau and Engvall raises questions about the team's secondary production, considering it only has $50,000 in cap space.
While they aren't expected to be point-producing machines as two-way forwards, the Islanders should have less of a problem challenging for a playoff spot if Pageau and Engvall can at least match their career highs (43 points for Pageau and 35 for Engvall). If they don’t, and we’re in a similarly subpar place with the team at this time next season, it's tougher to justify keeping Engvall and Pageau around.
Islanders’ Cold Seat: Patrick Roy, Coach
It came as a surprise when the Islanders fired Lane Lambert and hired Roy midway through last season. Right away, Roy was expected to take a mediocre roster and at least get them into the playoffs, and that’s exactly what Roy did.
The 58-year-old had been waiting for a chance to get back into the NHL coaching game, and the Islanders gig was the best choice to get back right away.
Although Roy is working under a GM in Lou Lamoriello, who has never been afraid to fire coaches in short order, Roy’s stature and reputation as one of the most competitive figures in the sport should keep him behind the bench on Long Island for at least a couple of years. His reputation as a stop-at-nothing winner has got him very far in hockey, and he’s still expected to push the Islanders to be as good as they can be.
The team around him may change significantly if they don’t produce better results this season, but Roy’s championship pedigree and insight as an NHL icon should keep him employed with the Islanders for quite a while. He’s a legend for good reason, and if he steers the Islanders to a deep post-season run, Roy will cement his status as Isles coach until further notice.
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