Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello criticized by fans for placing Pierre Engvall on waivers with $18M pending contract - "Lou ruining another franchise"

New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello is facing scrutiny from fans on social media after the team placed forward Pierre Engvall on waivers. The decision comes as the Isles finalize their roster cuts ahead of the season.

Engvall is currently in the second year of a seven-year, $21 million contract he signed with the club during the 2023 offseason. According to Chris Johnston of The Athletic, the 28-year-old has six years and $18 million remaining on his deal.

Should Engvall clear waivers, he will likely begin the 2024-25 campaign in the minors. The move has ignited debate among the fan base, many of whom are questioning the management, specifically GM Lou Lamoriello, for the implications of waiving a player with such a substantial contract.

One tweeted:

"Lou ruining another franchise. Lou and the Cap don’t work well together. But hey…the old boys club will vote him again for best GM."

Another chimed in, as they brought up the Rick DiPietro deal:

"Crazily, Engvall’s six years of contract term remaining going on waivers isn’t an Islanders team record. Once upon a time in 2013 the Islanders waived a guy with eight years left on his contract to buy him out."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X, many of them making jokes at Lamoriello's expense:

"Hahahaha another brilliant signing by LOU. Lmaooooo," one tweeted.

"That's nuts, why give a guy like him a long-term deal if they're going to give up after a middling season and struggles at camp," another chimed in.

"I was told Lou is a genius," one humorously wrote.

Meanwhile, one fan pointed out the bright side of this move for Engvall.

"It's good for engvall because now he gets 2/3rds of that and never has to step on the ice again," another commented.

Pierre Engvall accumulated 28 points through 10 goals and 18 assists in 74 regular season games last term.

New York Islanders GM addresses decision to place Pierre Engvall on waivers

Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello addressed the decision to place Engvall on waivers, stating that the move was a result of performance-based evaluations.

Lamoriello explained that Engvall is a forward capable of playing in the top six or top nine, but Maxim Tsylakiv has earned a spot in that role. He said (via THN):

"I think that what happened, simplistically, is that he's a top six, top nine forward, and Maxim Tsyplakov earned his way into that role, and basically, we have to make the best decisions for the best lineup we can put together.

It's as simple as that. It's not that he did anything wrong, but he basically lost the job at this point. He is not a bottom-six player."

By waiving Engvall and other roster moves, the Islanders have an $87.79 million cap hit, leaving them with approximately $200,000 in cap space. The club hosts the Utah Hockey Club in the season opener at UBS Arena on Oct. 10.