Islanders' Pierre Engvall returns from his wake-up call in Bridgeport

It was an attempted wake-up call for Pierre Engvall.

That was the explanation Islanders president/general manager Lou Lamoriello copped to regarding Engvall’s surprise demotion to the team’s AHL affiliate in Bridgeport out of training camp as he entered the second season of a seven-year, $21 million deal that, theoretically, should have made him a fixture among the top-12 forwards.

Engvall was recalled for Saturday night’s match against the Stanley Cup-champion Panthers, skating on the fourth line with center Kyle MacLean and the newly-re-signed Matt Martin. Hudson Fasching was also recalled from Bridgeport after struggling through an undisclosed injury in training camp.

“Both of them with different reason for why they went down,” Lamoriello said. “We certainly weren’t happy with Pierre, to be perfectly honest, for what we feel he can bring. We want him to bring that because we know he can help us in the lineup. He’s an NHL player without question. Hudson had an injury this summer and wasn’t just 100% even though he said he was.”

Engvall had 10 goals and 18 assists in 74 games last season and was a healthy scratch three separate times. Then he struggled through training camp.

“I think he had an OK camp,” coach Patrick Roy said during training camp. “Obviously he’s a minus-5. So I’m not saying he’s playing bad or what. I think he’s been trying to do the things we’re asking for.”

Roy did not have any immediate comment on Engvall’s recall because the Islanders declined to make the coach available prior to the game in direct violation of NHL media guidelines.

Players were also not made available to the media before the game as they typically are.

Lamoriello was asked directly if the Islanders had tried to send a wake-up call to Engvall regarding the standard they expect him to play to by having him start the season with Bridgeport. Engvall had one goal in six AHL games.

“I’ll answer your question,” Lamoriello said. “Absolutely. There are certain elements that each player has to bring. And we know what he can bring. He’s got to bring it every night. We want a lineup that we can solidify.

“There’s no question you can see that different spots, whether it be 11 or 12 in the lineup, we’ve been having different players in there. We want somebody coming forward, somebody we can trust night in and night out.”

Getting steady play is even more crucial with top-line left wing Anthony Duclair (right leg) out 4-6 weeks.

Julien Gauthier got a one-game look on the fourth line before being sent down to Bridgeport and Liam Foudy got two games in the lineup before being returned to the AHL.

Notes & quotes: Defenseman Alexander Romanov (upper body) is day to day, meaning Dennis Cholowski made his season’s debut after being a healthy scratch the first seven games. He scored just 1:32 into the game. Lamoriello insisted Romanov is not dealing with a concussion after taking a high hit from the Devils’ Kurtis MacDermid on Friday night . . . Oliver Wahlstrom and Fasching were also not in the lineup.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.