Take a look in the rearview mirror. There, you’ll find the Fourth of July, along with the Free Agent Frenzy. The remaining top free agents are: Matt Grzelcyk, Jack Roslovic, Victor Olofsson, and Jeff Skinner. All this to say, the hot stove of free layers is cooling down.

The biggest noise in recent days surrounds the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins find themselves moving more pieces away, and are set to sell off at least one of Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust.

There’s also the seemingly never-ending Bowen Byram chatter, along with the potential for a Rasmus Andersson trade. The latter of those two feels far likelier to be dealt at the Trade Deadline than now, but the Flames are listening.

That brings us all back to the New York Islanders. Aside from signing Maxim Tsyplakov, what is left for them to do? The roster is virtually set. The only questions surround what forwards make the roster, along with how the defense shakes out. On both fronts, they have extra players. Players who could be dealt. One name that constantly appears in these rumors is Pierre Engvall.

What to Do with Pierre Engvall

One quiet option surrounding the Islanders is shipping out a player or two who could be deemed as excess. The Islanders hold 16 different NHL-level forwards, all of whom can be useful in their roles. We’ve defined those players already over the weekend.

Engvall became the top name spouted as a possible casualty. It’s easy to see why. Based on the organizational additions, it’s hard to see a lineup place entering camp. The Islanders’ subtractions at forward from the NHL roster this summer: Hudson Fasching, Matt Martin. That’s the list. The team added Jonathan Drouin, Maxim Shabanov, and Emil Heineman.

Drouin’s signed specifically for his power-play prowess, along with his ability to play alongside Bo Horvat. Shabanov, barring an awful training camp, will start somewhere in the top nine and on one of the two power-play units. Heineman will be on the fourth line and the penalty kill. Islanders’ GM Mathieu Darche hasn’t made a secret of how much he coveted Heineman.

There alone, it’s easy to see why Engvall’s on the outside. That’s before you get to others who want another crack, like Julien Gauthier, who beat out Engvall last training camp, returns following a season-long injury. Marc Gatcomb scored eight goals in 39 games, and Engvall scored eight in 62 games.

The Positives Engvall Brings:

All of this noise consistently brings out the negatives from Engvall’s tenure with the Islanders. Through 154 regular season and 11 playoff games, one thing is obvious: he’s a streaky player. When Engvall’s on, he looks like the best player on the ice.

When he’s not, he’s able to pass through waivers twice. His contract, lasting until 2030 worth $3 million against the cap each year, which does not help his cause.

Focusing on the good, it’s extremely clear what a speedy, 6’5 player can do. He’s an unbelievable puck retriever, and he generates serious chances. It felt as if he’d turned a corner by the end of last season, particularly with Head Coach Patrick Roy.

At his best, Engvall truly can be one of the best third liners in the NHL. The issue is how few and far between those elite stretches have come.

13th Forward?

Yet, based on the Islanders’ summer activities, it’s clear they think they can improve over him and bump him to the 13th forward. Ironically, that could be the best landing place for him. Engvall’s been a bit of a Swiss Army Knife with the Islanders. Upon arrival, he started on the second line alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. Then, in the next two seasons, his best has come in spurts in the bottom six.

As a 13th forward, Engvall could be fresh when his number is called at various points. That could be how you get the best out of Engvall. That leads to a bigger issue, however, of paying your extra forward $3 million against the cap.

Waivers remain a clear option. While a trade would be ideal for the Islanders, it’s highly unlikely any team would give up any assets for Engvall. With waivers and a rising cap, however, there remains a better chance of a team taking a chance. There are seven teams with $15 million or more in cap space. Teams can do far worse than taking a chance on Engvall.

For now, Engvall seems set to be the Islanders’ 13th forward, perhaps the best possible spot for him to start.