Bo Horvat wasn’t the last piece to fall into place for the Islanders.
Lou Lamoriello made another move on Tuesday, shipping a 2024 third-round pick to the Maple Leafs in exchange for winger Pierre Engvall.
Engvall, 26, fits the mold of the kind of player the Islanders were looking for to bolster their top nine with Mathew Barzal out for the foreseeable future. In 58 games with the Leafs this season, he’s scored 12 goals with nine assists. Until Barzal gets back, which the Isles have said should happen this season, Engvall might even end up in the top six, with Matt Martin and Simon Holmstrom both having skated alongside Bo Horvat and Anders Lee over the last week.
Engvall’s contract, which carries a $2.25 million cap hit for 2022-23, expires at the end of the season, so this is likely a rental, with the hopes he can help carry the Isles over the playoff finish line.
It is not necessarily the last move in Lamoriello’s pocket, though. The Isles have $4.9 million of cap space after acquiring Engvall on Tuesday, which will accrue to $5.2 million on deadline day Friday, per CapFriendly.
The Islanders entered Tuesday’s game against the Wild holding the first wild-card spot in the East.