Will the Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Pierre Engvall?

As the preseason continues for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it seems more and more likely that the team will move on from Pierre Engvall.  Now that a hip injury lists him as day-to-day, he may not get an opportunity to prove that he’s deserving of a roster spot this season.

Pierre Engvall had been practicing on a line with Wayne Simmonds and Kirill Semyonov during training camp but wasn’t able to debut with the line during the Toronto Maple Leafs second preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night because of his hip injury.

Ilya Mikeyev got into his second preseason game in a row by taking Engvall’s spot on the line.

Will he get the chance to play for the Leafs this season?

Pierre Engvall’s Preseason with the Toronto Maple Leafs

On the Toronto Maple Leafs preseason depth charts, the Engvall-Semyonov-Simmonds line has looked like their fifth or sixth best line.  It is still preseason and a lot can change, but it doesn’t seem positive for anyone on this line right now as far as making the team out of camp goes.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have added a lot of forwards this offseason, and they’ve invited Josh Ho-Sang and Nikita Gusev to try out at camp as well.  Pierre Engvall was scratched when the team was healthy during Game 1 of their playoff series against Montreal in May, so he may have dropped on the Toronto Maple Leafs depth chart to the point where he’s not on the team at all.

Complicating things further is Pierre Engvall’s contract.  He signed a two year extension worth $1.25 million a month before Covid-19 was declared a pandemic.  Because of the frozen salary cap last season and this coming season, that deal is hefty for a fourth line or scratched player on the front heavy Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs could attempt to start Pierre Engvall on the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, but Engvall might be snatched up by another team before he clears waivers.  Even if Engvall cleared waivers, $125,000 of his salary would still hit the Maple Leafs cap as the maximum that can be buried for each player this season is $1.125 million (capfriendly.com).

Kyle Dubas had said during his preseason media availability that he welcomed battles for spots in camp, and if spots were taken by new comers, he’d figure out what to do with the remaining players.  He has mentioned a few names that he thinks will be a big part of the team this season and Pierre Engvall was never one of them.

If Kyle Dubas is able to trade Pierre Engvall (or whoever doesn’t make the cut), he may be able to acquire some needed draft picks.  I wouldn’t expect any high picks or anything, but considering Engvall was a seventh round selection, they could get something higher than what they used to draft him.

Pierre Engvall had some amazing stints with the Toronto Marlies but just hasn’t been able to generate the same magic in the NHL so far.  His future remains uncertain, but I hope it’s bright whether it’s with the Toronto Maple Leafs or elsewhere.