EAST MEADOW, 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’s seen in his game years after coaching him in juniors.
After citing that he was more mature now, at 29, than when he was a teenager, Roy decided to bring to the surface a conversation he had with Duclair.
“We had a bit of a talk. I mean, there’s things here that are important,” Roy said. “We want us to be a very good back-check team. We want to make sure we skate to the bench, and these are not negotiable things.”
Was this Roy’s way of holding Duclair accountable?
Was a lack of hustle and a lack of non-negotiables potentially a reason why Duclair is on his ninth team in 11 years?
It didn’t seem like it, but certainly was something that crossed the mines hearing Roy’s words.
“It was a pretty positive meeting, “Duclair said on Monday. “He was just saying I was having a good camp, using my feet and creating 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 juniors. It was a good meeting, a positive meeting to know what the expectations are for myself and the team.”
Nothing we saw at practice 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 cleary, Roy wanted to make a statement.
Duclair, who signed a four-year deal on July 1 worth $3.5 million annually, will be skating on the top line alongside Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, with the threesome getting their third game together on Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
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 will get his first chance on the second line, with Simon Holmstrom on the third and Julien Gauthier on the fourth.
Engvall, who is entering the second year of a seven-year deal worth $3 million annually, was part of the Islanders’ best 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 game group, Roy said they were just trying things.
“There’s no reason. We are 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 thus far, he was honest.
“I think he’s had an okay camp,” Roy said. “He’s a minus-5. I’m not saying he’s playing badly, but I think he’s been trying to do things we are asking him to do. I have nothing negative to say about his play.”
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Plus/- isn’t a stat that is a good evaluation of a player, especially in a small sample size, since a player could be a minus or a plus and have had zero involvement in the outcome of a play.
Roy was asked if he takes stock in that stat.
“No, no, but that’s part of it, isn’t it,” Roy said. “Something you have nothing to do with the play. I totally understand that. But you asked me if I was satisfied with him.
“The answer is there’s things that he could have done a little bit better, but nothing major to me.”
Engvall isn’t worried about his plus/-, pointing to his career numbers, which show that he has never been a minus player (+31).
“You don’t want goals to be in the back of your net. You want to be scoring goals and be on the plus side,” Engvall said. “Obviously, that doesn’t feel good [when you are a minus]. I think, after two games, it’s hard to tell. You got to play a lot of games, and I think in the end, that’s where you can tell where your plus-minus is. And I think if you look at my seasons, I’ve always been the plus size.”
Roy had said that he wanted these last two preseason games to be his NHL lineup, and if we take that to heart, Engvall not playing Monday night says a lot.
Engvall isn’t looking too much into 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 workout. So, I’m ready for the next one.”
Anytime a team gives out a long-term contract, regardless of the cap hit, that player is expected to be in the lineup daily.
Engvall has certainly struggled with inconsistencies throughout his five-year NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and now the Islanders, leading to a few healthy scratches.
Given the amount of forward depth at training camp, Engvall being in the starting lineup on Oct. 10 is likely but not automatic.
“I think everyone is fighting hard to be in the lineup,” Engvall said. “And I think some players’ [jobs] are more certain, but from day one, I’ve just been trying to do my best.”
Engvall would not share what Roy’s message has been to 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 the most important thing. No one is above the team, and the players who help the team win will be in the lineup.
Preseason or not, no one hates losing more than Roy, and if you are going to play in Roy’s lineup, you are expected to go 110 percent.
It sounds like Duclair’s conversation was just a moment to make sure both parties were on the same page regarding what was expected, whereas Engvall needs to tighten some things up if he wants to start day in and day out.
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