After the New York Islanders sent Pierre Engvall through waivers, Lyle Richardson gathers the speculation on him and the Rangers' negotiations with Igor Shesterkin.
Igor Shesterkin and Pierre EngvallThe New York Islanders raised eyebrows on Sunday by placing winger Pierre Engvall on waivers Sunday.
Engvall, 28, is entering the second year of a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million. He struggled with consistency last season, managing 28 points in 74 games.
The length of that contract didn't tempt any clubs to take Engvall off the Islanders' hands, meaning he cleared waivers on Monday. The Hockey News' Stefen Rosner reported Engvall will report to AHL Bridgeport and not risk a contract termination by deciding otherwise. The move gives the Islanders $1.15 million in cap relief.
Ethan Sears of the New York Post reports the Islanders would prefer trading Engvall. However, he considers that unlikely because of the left winger's contract, which runs through 2029-30 and includes a 16-team no-trade list.
Sears believes the Islanders must include a draft pick in the deal. He thinks they would find unpalatable.
The Islanders could consider swapping Engvall for another player with an equally bad contract in the hope the new player might improve under their system. That also seems an unlikely scenario.
Turning to the other New York club, there's little sign of progress in contract extension talks between the Rangers and Igor Shesterkin. However, that might not be a cause for concern.
The Hockey News' Remy Mastey cited Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman speculating it's only a matter of time until the Rangers get the 28-year-old goaltender under contract. He believes they've chosen to pay Shesterkin.
It's believed Shesterkin seeks an average annual value of $12 million on an eight-year deal, which would make him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history. On Tuesday morning, Kevin Weekes reported Shesterkin rejected an eight-year deal worth $11 million per year.
That said, Mastey also cited Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli, who dismissed reports suggesting contract talks would be shelved if an agreement wasn't reached by the Rangers' season opener on Oct. 9.
It's hard to believe the Shesterkin camp wouldn't be interested in continuing to negotiate after Oct. 9 if the Rangers are close to meeting their asking price.
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