Vegas Golden Knights Report Card: Deryk Engelland

Deryk Engelland endured a turbulent 2018-19 for the Vegas Golden Knights as father time appears to be catching up with the veteran defenseman.

Deryk Engelland: Grade D

We roll on with our 2018-19 Vegas Golden Knights Report Cards today by looking at how Deryk Engelland fared in what was a season full of peaks and valleys for the blueliner.

His season

Arguably the face of this franchise due to his close ties to the City of Vegas – he has resided in Sin City for years having previously plied his trade for the Las Vegas Wranglers – Deryk Engelland led by example both on and off the ice for the Vegas Golden Knights throughout their inaugural season in the NHL.

From that emotional, passionate speech on home opening night following the tragic mass shootings in Vegas on October, 1, to carving out a productive season on the ice with five goals and 18 assists for 23 points in 79 regular season games, Engelland was the heartbeat of this franchise both in the heat of the battle and in the calm of the locker room and the wider community.

However, 2018-19 was a much tougher season for the 37-year-old with countless years of putting his body on the line for the good of the team finally looking to have taken its toll.

Looking at just the stats for now, Engelland endured a significant dip in production with 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 74 games compared to 23 points in 2017-18. It was also the veteran’s worse year from a production standpoint since 2015-16.

Engelland posted a plus/minus rating of -3 during the regular season but he did, however, log on average of 19:53 minutes of ice time a game, posting a career high in blocked shots (152) and dishing out 165 hits – his highest total in that category since 2011-12.

He also had more takeaways (26) than giveaways (24) so the year wasn’t a complete train-wreck for Engelland, who plays with his heart on his sleeve every single shift.

There is no doubt that Engelland still has much to offer the team and it would perhaps be wise to pair him on the bottom line with a young prospect in the ilk of Nic Hague or Jimmy Schuldt.

And that brings us on to what arguably hampered the veteran for large chunks of 2018-19. Used primarily as a top-line defenseman, Engelland’s lack of speed and mobility was often exposed as was his ability to transition out of the zone and generate offense.

But, again, there are positives to sprinkle in among the negatives. Firstly, Engelland contributed to Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban having a combined save percentage of .924 while he was on the ice, while he led the Golden Knights in ice time during the playoffs with an average of 23:19 minutes a night, posting a point and a plus/minus rating of +2 in seven games.

He also averaged 3:12 minutes of short-handed ice time per game, which led the Knights, and helped his team to an 80.9 percent penalty kill which ranked sixth in the Western Conference and 14th in the NHL.

Engelland’s biggest blot on his copybook, however, was his lack of offense and his inability to generate attacks for his team. He had a 50.0 percent Corsi rating and only generated 105 shots on goal with a 1.9 shooting percentage.

Vegas had an on-ice shooting percentage of 7.6 at even strength when Engelland was on the ice, although they did boast an impressive team on-ice save percentage of 92.3 when he was on the ice too.

Engelland is an unrestricted free agent this summer and it remains unclear as to whether or not he will return for a third year with the franchise. If he does return, and he has already made it clear that’s what he wants, then a reduced role may turn out to be the most effective option for both team and player.

Why the grade

As mentioned already, Engelland put up some pretty solid numbers defensively but he struggles to contribute in the offensive zone and that’s a bad optic when you log top-four minutes.

At 37-years-old Engelland isn’t getting any younger either and the wear and tear of a long career is starting to show, as is his lack of skating speed which left him exposed on countless occasions during 2018-19.

Engelland clearly has the faith of the coaching staff as he was relied upon to log monster minutes this year, averaging 19:53 minutes of ice time during the regular season and 23:19 in the playoffs.

Given his shortcomings in the offensive zone, that sort of ice time probably isn’t sustainable going forward, especially when you consider that the Golden Knights have a host of talented studs in the ilk of Nic Hague, Zach Whitecloud and Jimmy Schuldt ready to make the leap to the NHL.

Engelland heads into this offseason as an unrestricted free agent and, with Vegas already pressing right up against the cap, there are some tough decisions ahead for the front office.

Taking away the playing aspect, there is also the human element to consider with Engelland arguably the face of this franchise.

He’s a leader on and off the ice, he resonates with the fans and the local community and he will forever be woven into the tapestry of this franchise no matter what happens this summer.

There is no doubt that Engelland still has much to offer as backed up by some of his defensive stats this season.

If the Golden Knights do decide to bring him back for a third year then a reduced role alongside a prospect like Hague, Schuldt or Whitecloud could be beneficial for all parties.

However, sports is a cut-throat business and front offices are paid to make the tough and ruthless decisions. If letting Engelland walk as a free agent allows them to free up much-needed cap space, then it is an agonising choice they might have to make.

Given his immense leadership and the respect he demands, along with his prowess in the defensive zone, it might be best though for the Vegas Golden Knights to keep Deryk Engelland around for one more year.

The numbers

Games: 74

Goals: 2

Assists: 10

Points: 12

Game Winning Goals: 1

PIM: 18

ATOI: 19:53

Plus/Minus: -3

Hits: 165

Blocked Shots: 152

Takeaways: 26

CF%: 50.0

Games (Playoffs): 7

Assists (Playoffs): 1

Points (Playoffs): 1

Plus/Minus (Playoffs): +2

PIM (Playoffs): 8

ATOI (Playoffs): 23:19

Blocked Shots (Playoffs): 16

Hits (Playoffs): 19

Next Report Card: Colin Miller