Former Leaf gets the opportunity of his life with his new team

Tuesday, February 28th was a very memorable day for those in Leafs Nation, as Leafs GM Kyle Dubas executed a trio of trades within an hour, which changed the foundation of both their bottom six and their 3rd defensive pairing.

First, Dubas dealt 2018 29th overall pick Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2023 1st round pick (BOS) and depth defenseman Erik Gustafsson. Next, he pulled off a pair of deals pretty much simultaneously to acquire former Leaf Luke Schenn and sending 3rd line winger Pierre Engvall packing for Long Island.

The moves came as a bit of a shock, as most Leaf fans had assumed that it would be Alexander Kerfoot and Justin Holl on the way out due to their combined $5.5M cap hit. In the end, Sandin and Engvall, who combine for just $3.65M against the cap, were the ones shipped out.

Both Engvall and Sandin skated with their new teams today and while it's still unclear as to where Sandin will slot in for the Caps, we now know where Engvall will slot in for the Islanders. Engvall will get the opportunity of his career, playing alongside Islanders captain Anders Lee and the newly-acquired Bo Horvat on the Isles' top line.



Engvall did get a very brief look in the top six in Toronto earlier this season, but it was quickly determined that he wasn't the right fit for the Leafs on the 2LW slot and was subsequently sent back down to the 3rd line. He even played on the 4th line on and off as the Leafs tinkered to try to find the best mix.

If the Isles are hoping that Engvall has a lot of untapped potential, it's certainly possible that it's there, but he'll undoubtedly have to dig a lot deeper than he did in Toronto. Engvall, despite being 6'5 and over 200 lbs, seldom played in the dirty areas and certainly didn't use his massive frame to throw his weight around - two things he'll certainly have to do while playing with Horvat and Lee.

Still, even though I don't think his run on the top line with the Isles will go too well, I wish Pierre the best on this next chapter of his career.