Toronto Maple Leafs: Can Pierre Engvall Still Get Better?

Pierre Engvall has already proven himself a decent late-round pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs; is there any room for further improvement though?

Drafted in the seventh round (188th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2014, it could be seen as a bonus to even be asking this question. Indeed not many seventh round picks stick in the NHL.

What’s more, Engvall has proven himself a useful asset on the roster; being versatile position-wise while also fulfilling important penalty-killing duties and even on the powerplay in a pinch.

With a new contract in hand, the team will be hoping for continued improvement from the 26 year-old Swede.

Toronto Maple Leafs Need A Little More From Engvall

It might be expected that Pierre Engvall has hit his ceiling after a career best last season of 35 points (15 goals and 20 assists) but he has actually been so impressive that there might be more to come (statistics from HockeyDB).

Engvall was better than 72% of NHL players at 5v5 defense last season, but his most common linemate was David Kampf, and Sheldon Keefe used them in an extremely defensive role.  Kampf led the NHL by starting the highest percentage of his shifts in the defensive zone, and Engvall was ranked tenth (naturalstattrick.com).

Despite the extreme usage, Engvall posted above-average offensive and defensive results, posting a 54% Corsi, a 55% expected goals rating, and scoring at a rate of 1.75 Points per 60, which is a decent second line rate.

Engvall   really hit his stride in the final month of the Toronto Maple Leafs regular season campaign; his 11 points far eclipsing any previous monthly total.

While his play-off totals failed to live up to the regular season, he did show a little to suggest that he can meet up to one of the areas that fans constantly berate him on. Given his lanky frame, physicality is somewhat an expectation.

Against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he showed he wouldn’t back down, tussling with Brandon Hagel. If he can continue to show this slightly gritty side, he could get some chances on John Tavares’ wing.

Given the need for some grit alongside Tavares and the slick mitts of William Nylander, Engvall might actually be a strong fit. Those two did well previously with the git and fore-checking of Zach Hyman after all.

In fact, it’s not too hard to imagine, assuming the departure of Alex Kerfoot, that Engvall can live up to the 51-point campaign of the former, if he finds himself taking Kerfoot’s roster spot.

The summer departures of Ondrej Kase and Ilya Mikheyev opened up chances for him to cement a role much greater than on the third line, although he was so effective with Kampf it is likely that is where he stays.

Sheldon Keefe certainly likes what he brings (ever since their days with the Toronto Marlies) although he does find himself in the coaches’ dog-house from time to time.

With a new contract that expires next summer, Pierre will certainly be keen to impress the Toronto Maple Leafs brass. That is surely part of his personal motivation for a good year and a pretty strong motivator at that!

Last year saw enough improvement that you are left wondering if there’s even more. Really, even another 35-point campaign from Engvall is a win, though you’d certainly prefer that he tip the 20-goal marker.

Has he got it in him? I guess time will tell.