The New York Islanders suffered a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at UBS Arena on Thursday night, and one player, in particular, faced criticism from head coach Patrick Roy.
Roy cited forward Pierre Engvall, who had been a healthy scratch in the Islanders’ last game, was waived by the team prior to the 2024-25 NHL Season, and was sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Roy felt Engvall’s performance did not meet expectations, stating to TSN, “I don’t want to criticize him. I know Pierre is giving it his all, just as we all are. However, my expectations for him may be higher than what he’s currently delivering.” Engvall has scored three goals and provided two assists in 17 games this season and recently signed a seven-year, $21 million contract with the team.
After a recent defeat, Roy appeared to critique Islanders general manager Lou Lamoreillo regarding the team’s roster decisions. “I love these guys. They work hard. They’re pushing,” Roy remarked about his players, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross. “It’s the team that Lou gave me and I’m going to work extremely hard for these guys.”
This comment sparked speculation that Roy and Lamoreillo may not be aligned, less than a year after Roy took over for the fired Lane Lambert.
Lamoreillo has a history of terminating coaches, famously firing Claude Julien from the New Jersey Devils with only three games left in the 2006-07 season, despite the team already securing a playoff spot and setting a franchise record in wins.
