How important is it for the New York Islanders to re-sign Pierre Engvall?

Speed kills, and New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello did not hesitate to bring some wheels in when speedster Mathew Barzal fell victim to a lower-body injury up in Boston on Feb. 18.

On Feb. 28, Lamoriello shipped a 2023 third-round draft pick to his former employer, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in exchange for bottom-six forward and pending unrestricted free agent Pierre Engvall.

"Pierre is a very versatile player. He'll bring a dimension that he can play any one of the forward positions, and probably his biggest asset is his skating ability," Lamoriello said. "He's got a long reach, being 6-5, 220."

Engvall was not known for his offense through his first three NHL seasons but showed some promise in 2021-22 when he potted 15 goals and 20 assists in 78 games. 

He came over with 12 goals and nine assists in 58 games with Toronto, averaging 13:08 minutes per game. 

Lamoriello stated that his speed was his biggest asset, and the Islanders severely lacked that skill set, even with Barzal healthy. 

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It wasn't the prettiest of starts for Engvall with the Islanders, as he struggled to adapt to his new environment while head coach Lane Lambert struggled to find the proper spot for him in the lineup.

Through his first five games with New York, Engvall scored two goals, coming in back-to-back losses against the Washington Capitals and the Los Angeles Kings.

That included a few games where he was taken out of the rotation. 

In the losing effort to Los Angeles, Lambert tweaked his lines late in the game, placing Engvall on a line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.

Nelson and Palmieri had been clicking since Palmieri returned to the lineup on Jan. 23 after missing 16 games due to his second head injury of the season. 

It was a tweak that Lambert decided to keep against the Anaheim Ducks a night later, and looking back on the season, it may have been one of the most critical decisions he made in his first season as a head coach.

Not only did Engvall score yet again for a third straight game, finishing his night with a goal and an assist, but that line as a whole was lethal. 

Nelson scored a pair, while Palmieri scored a goal with three assists in the 6-3 win.

This newly assembled line became the backbone of the Islanders' offense for the rest of the season, paving the way to a playoff berth after missing in 2021-22.

Per MoneyPuck.com, in 143:50 minutes as a line, they outscored their opponents 15-4. 

The closest line that matched their goal production was the threesome of Anders Lee, Nelson, and Anthony Beauvillier, who scored 20 goals in 309:24 minutes.

Why was this line working?

"I think we've got good chemistry," Engvall said in mid-March. "I try to use my speed. I think both Nelson and Palmieri are really good at finding open spots. So yeah, I think it worked well. It was a nice game."

Palmieri understood Engvall's early struggles with the club after Palmieri went through a slump when he came to Long Island days before the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline. 

"He's a good player. Since he's come over, I think you look, and you saw bits and pieces and flashes of his speed, and how well he protects the puck and, when he gets in open areas, he knows how to finish," Palmieri said. "But I think he's settling in and kind of getting to know the system."

Engvall's speed allowed this line to be much more dangerous off the rush. And with the shooting Nelson displayed, creating any lane for the 31-year-old could be --and was-- problematic for the opponent. 

Over the final 13 games of the season, dating back to the game in Anaheim, the Islanders owned a Corsi For of 59.74 when Engvall was on the ice, which was a team-high over that span.

The newcomer was also on the ice for 115 shots, the most for an Islanders forward, as well as 18 goals, which led the entire New York squad, per NaturalStatrick.com. 

When the regular season ended, Engvall had five goals under his belt for New York with four assists in 18 games, averaging 15:16 minutes. 

Engvall was buried on a stacked Toronto team but took advantage of the extra minutes with New York. 

If Lamoriello had not gone out and acquired his former player, the Islanders likely would not have qualified for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Albeit just one goal in six playoff games, Engvall's line was by far their best, outscoring their opponents 5-2. 

The next-best productive line was the Islanders' fourth line of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck, who scored twice while allowing two. 

A few days after the Islanders were eliminated from the playoffs, the Islanders held their final player media availabilities. 

How did Engvall feel about his time on Long Island, and what was the likelihood that he would be back in 2023-24?

"I had a really good time here so far, and I think we have a good team and a really good group," Engvall said. "I really liked it, but I haven't made much thinking about next season, to be honest.

"I think I played good hockey, and I think  I can develop even more and then get even better still, so hopefully, the best is yet to come."

Palmieri had this to say about Engvall's performance in blue and orange.

"He did a great job. I think you look at the trade, him coming over. I was a little familiar with his game just haven't played against him a couple times, but I was really impressed. He stepped in, and it took him a couple games to kind of get comfortable and figure out his way to make an impact on our team, and the results speak for themselves. He did a great job, and  he made a huge impact on our team coming down the stretch."

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When asked if he would be interested in playing with Engvall for a full season after their success, Palmieri said, "Of course," but knew that decision was above his pay grade. 

For Nelson, Engvall's speed is what allowed the line to have the success it did.

"Pierre is a pretty easy guy to play with. I think his speed is highlighted pretty obviously with him taking the puck, and (his) big body protected the puck so well," Nelson said. "He's able to make a lot of plays that would generate some space to kind of suck guys in and open up Palmier and I, which was nice.

"So I think just trying to read off him and support him in different spots and kind of let him go. For whatever reason that was, it just seemed to click."

The Islanders currently have around $5.3 million in cap space as we wait to see what contracts, if any, are moved to create more cap space. 

Engvall's expiring deal was worth $2.25 million and he will likely be in the market for a 3-4 year deal ranging from $3-4 million. That wouldn't leave the Islanders with much room which is why it's integral that Lamoriello flexes his GM of the Year award-caliber skill sets this summer and creates the room he didn't last summer. 

And some may say that giving Engvall $4 million would be too much, but considering how Engvall played a vital role in saving the Islanders' season and what he did for Nelson and Palmieri, is it worth it?