Islanders' moves add Pierre Engvall, Hudson Fasching, Matt Martin to roster, send Anthony Duclair to long-term injured reserve
Left winger Pierre Engvall is among players the Islanders added to the actrive roster Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Islanders made a bevy of moves prior to Saturday night’s 6-3 loss to the Stanley Cup-champion Panthers at UBS Arena, the end result being forwards Pierre Engvall, Hudson Fasching and longtime fourth-liner Matt Martin, who had been training with the team while on a professional tryout offer, are all back on the roster.
Top-line left wing Anthony Duclair, out 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury after injuring his right leg last Saturday against the Canadiens, was placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to the day he was injured. He must sit out a minimum of 10 games and 24 days on LTIR and Islanders president/general manager Lou Lamoriello said the timeline for Duclair’s return hasn’t changed.
Duclair is in the first season of a four-year, $14 million deal and being placed on LTIR allowed the Islanders to exceed the $88 million salary cap ceiling by Duclair’s average annual value of $3.5 million.
That gave the Islanders the cap room to recall Engvall, in the second season of a seven-year, $21 million deal, and Fasching, in the second season of a two-year, $1.55 million deal, from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.
Martin agreed to a one-year deal for the NHL minimum $775,000.
“We intentionally waited to put [Duclair] on long-term injury to try and accumulate as much [cap] space that we could during that period of time,” Lamoriello said. “Marty came to camp. He worked extremely hard. He’s probably in the best shape I’ve actually seen him in physically over the last couple of years.
“Marty understands his role. Marty understands what he brings to this team, not only on the ice but off the ice. Understands he won’t be in the lineup every night and he can accept that role.”
Martin, 35, had four goals and four assists in 57 games last season and rejoined the Islanders 45 games shy of reaching the 1,000-game milestone.
His patience in coming to training camp on a PTO and continuing to practice with the team after the season started paid off.
The Islanders re-assigned Liam Foudy to Bridgeport.
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.
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