EASTMEADOW, NY — The last two Patrick Roy chats have been a bit eye-opening.
On Sunday, the head coach of the New York Islanders was asked about newcomer Anthony Duclair and the changes he has seen in his game years after coaching him as a junior.
After citing that he was more mature now, at age 29, than he was when he was a teenager, Roy decided to bring up a conversation he had with Duclair.
‘We talked for a while. I mean, there are things here that are important,” Roy said. “We want us to be a really good back-check team. We want to make sure we skate to the bench, and these are non-negotiables.”
Was this Roy’s way of holding Duclair accountable?
Was a lack of hustle and a lack of non-negotiables possibly a reason why Duclair is on his ninth team in 11 years?
It didn’t look like it, but it was definitely something that passed through the mines as he heard Roy’s words.
“It was a pretty positive meeting,” Duclair said Monday. “He just said I had a good camp, used my feet and created some chances with my linemates.
“Me and Pat have always been an open book and we talk a lot during the year, no different than when we were in the juniors. It was a good meeting, a positive meeting to know what the expectations are for myself and the team. “
Nothing we saw in training or in the games showed a lack of effort from No. 11, but given Roy’s comments it was worth asking him about it.
But it was clear that Roy wanted to make a statement.
Duclair, who signed a four-year contract worth $3.5 million per year on July 1, will line up alongside Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal at the top, with the trio playing their third game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.
Now let’s move on to what Roy said about Pierre Engvall.
During Monday’s practice, Engvall skated with the non-group players. Maxim Tsyplakov gets his first chance on the second line, with Simon Holmstrom on third and Julien Gauthier on fourth.
Engvall, who is entering the second year of a seven-year contract worth $3 million per year, was part of the Islanders’ top line in back-to-back playoffs, first with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri in 2023 and then with Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau in 2024.
When asked why Engvall wasn’t part of the gaming group, Roy said they were just trying things.
“There’s no reason. We’re just trying different guys, and we want to see how the guys are going to play,” Roy said. “There’s no major reason. We’re still in training camp.”
When Roy was asked about Engvall’s training camp so far, he was honest.
“I think he had a great camp,” Roy said. “He’s a minus-5. I’m not saying he’s playing bad, but I think he’s trying to do things we ask him to do. I don’t have anything negative to say about his game.”
Eric Hartline-Imagn images
Plus/- is not a statistic that is a good evaluation of a player, especially in a small sample size, as a player could be a minus or a plus and not have had any involvement in the outcome of a game.
Roy was asked if he takes stock of that statistic.
“No, no, but that’s part of it, isn’t it,” Roy said. ‘Something you have nothing to do with. I understand that completely. But you asked me if I was satisfied with him.
“The answer is that there are things he could have done a little better, but for me nothing major.”
Engvall isn’t worried about his plus/-, pointing to his career numbers, which show he’s never been a minus player (+31).
“You don’t want the goals to go in the back of your net. You want to score goals and be on the positive side,” Engvall said. ‘That obviously doesn’t feel good [when you are a minus]. I think after two games it’s hard to say. You have to play a lot of games, and I think that’s where you can ultimately see where your plus-minus is. And I think if you look at my seasons, I’ve always been the plus size.”
Roy had said he wanted these final two games of the preseason to be his NHL lineup, and if we take that to heart, the fact that Engvall isn’t playing Monday night says a lot.
Engvall isn’t too keen on not being in the lineup.
“Of course you want to play all the games,” Engvall said. “I know I’m not playing today, but I got a good skate in and a good practice. So I’m ready for the next one.”
Anytime a team issues a long-term contract, regardless of cap hit, that player is expected to be in the lineup on a daily basis.
Engvall has certainly struggled with inconsistencies during his five-year NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and now the Islanders, which has led to some healthy scratches.
Given the amount of forward depth during training camp, it is likely, but not automatic, that Engvall will be in the starting lineup on October 10th.
“I think everyone is fighting hard to be in the lineup,” Engvall said. “And I think some players [jobs] I’m more confident, but from day one I just did my best.”
Engvall wouldn’t say what Roy’s message has been for him, but reiterated that he’s just trying to do his best.
Since day one of Roy’s tenure on Long Island, accountability has been everything. No one is above the team and the players who help the team win are in the lineup.
Preseason or not, no one hates losing more than Roy, and if you’re going to play in Roy’s lineup, you’re expected to go 110 percent.
It seems like Duclair’s conversation was just a moment to make sure both sides were on the same page regarding what was expected, while Engvall needs to tighten up on some things if he wants to start day in and day out.
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