I had told BB prior to that game that his support of another poster's criticism of Engelland's offensive game I didn't share. I had said Engelland often shoots from far away to force the goalie to play the puck, thus avoiding icing in some cases and generating rebounds in other cases.
Let's set the record straight.
First, Engelland, along with Marc-Andre Fleury, had been initially the de facto captains of this team. Engelland is familiar with the Las Vegas area and has helped players (most of whom came involuntarily, of course) adjust to the new environment. Without that initial leadership and guidance from Engelland, we might be looking at something more similar to an Ottawa Senators-type inaugural season (10-70-4, 24 points).
Second, the Engelland-McNabb pairing has been solid, for the most part. McNabb uses his size (6'4") and Engelland uses his versatility on both sides of the ice. Together they create a very formidable D-team.
Third, Engelland is a right handed D-man. For reasons most others understand better than I, he has a very coveted skill set. So, he ain't going nowhere soon.
That said, in his career Engelland has not been an offensive juggernaut. He has played 485 games in the NHL and his offensive output has been sparse (24 G, 71 A, 95 P).
Deryk Engelland Stats and News
Playing with 3A and 3B goalies, however, all the D-men need to especially tighten up their games and clear the D-zone more efficiently. Unless all of the D-men rise to the challenge or Lagace ups his game (as he did in moments against the Jets), this team could be in big, big trouble.
It seems, however, that Engelland has found his O-game with this new team. He looks offensively great in 16 games: 2 G, 7 A, 9 P.
Not only do I like the Engelland-McNabb pairing, I think all the D-men have played better than my expectations.
With solid play from the goalies, this team could be a legit playoff contender. Without either consistent net minding or more defensive protection of the D-zone and the goalie, this season could become ugly fast.
