VIDEO: Leafs Forward Back On The Ice, But Return Date Still Unclear

Still dealing with a nagging foot injury, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Pierre Engvall has started skating on his own at training camp, hoping to be fully recovered by the start of the regular season.

Injured Pierre Engvall putting in some solo work away from main group this morning at Leafs camp. pic.twitter.com/KyMfkkIbPa
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) September 22, 2022

It was first reported on the 19th that Engvall would miss the start of training camp, as Frank Seravalli stated it was likely he would miss some regular season games. It is unclear at the moment if that is still the expectation, and there will probably be no further information until October 3rd, when team doctors will reevaluate Engvall’s condition. It will be encouraging for the team and the fanbase to see the winger skating in full equipment, even at low intensity.

#Leafs injury news: sources say forward Pierre Engvall will be out for the start of training camp. Team is awaiting re-evaluation to set a timeline.

It's not out of the question Engvall is ready to begin regular season. But it's possible (likely?) that he misses a chunk of time.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 20, 2022

Engvall recorded 15 goals and 20 assists in 78 games for the Leafs last year. He has tantalized Leafs fans with his potential over the past few years, his rare combination of speed and length making him a valuable special teams contributor but failing to translate to reliable 5-on-5 results and relegating him to bottom-6 forward status. The loss of Engvall gives an opportunity for one of the Leafs’ several depth forwards to compete for an opening day roster spot. Prospects like Nick Robertson and veterans like Wayne Simmonds, with tweeners like Dennis Malgin, Pontus Holmberg and Joey Anderson in between, will fight to make the Leafs staff’s roster decisions a bit tougher than they expected.