Blake Comeau 2010-11 SEASON REVIEW:

Blake Comeau
Date of birth: February 18, 1986 (2010-11 Season Age: 24/25)

Place of birth: Meadow Lake, Sask., Canada
Height: 6-1
Weight: 207
Shooting Hand: Right
NHL Season: 2nd full NHL season
Drafted: Islanders In the 2nd Round (47th Overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft 
Acquired: Originally drafted by the NY Islanders

2010-11 Season Stats:
New York Islanders   NHL:   GP: 77  G: 24  A: 22  P: 46  PIM: 43

Short-Term Status: 

He is a pending RFA, but the Isles will extend him his Qualifying Offer ($840,000) and regardless of whether or not he accepts it, I believe he will be brought back. If I'm right and he is re-signed, I think he'd be capable of getting top-6 minutes but he'd be better suited to remain on the 3rd line. 

Long-Term Status:
I am a big fan of Blake Comeau, his style of play makes him an ideal 3rd line winger. The fact that he fits in well with the locker room and has a style that not many others in the Isles system have, makes me believe he is going to be here for the long-run. He is a good source of secondary scoring, but also provides the grit needed from the 3rd line.

Contract Status:

LENGTH: 2 YEAR(S)     VALUE: $1,300,000     TYPE: STANDARD     EXPIRY STATUS: RFA (2011) ****CONTRACT EXPIRES THIS OFF-SEASON****
SEASON	AHL SALARY	NHL SALARY	P. BONUSES	S. BONUS	CAP HIT
2009-10	$500,000	$500,000	$0	—	$650,000
2010-11	$800,000	$800,000	$0	—	$650,000

Review: 

Perhaps the most low-key breakout season among all Islanders, was that of Blake Comeau. He had an incredible, career best, year that included his first 20 goal campaign at any level since the 2005-06 season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. He increased his point totals from 35 last year to 46 this year, which is continuing his yearly trend, as he has increased point total's in each of the last four years. What I find even more impressive is the fact he was able to put up those numbers while still being an absolute force physically. He was third on the team in hits with 120, and was never afraid to go to the dirty area's on the ice. That willingness to play physical and get a little dirty while still contributing offensively, is what makes him unique and I believe it will keep him here for a long time. He has good character and the fact that the entire team rallied behind him when he got destroyed by a questionable hit from Max Talbot, is very telling about how much the team values him internally. The one issue he has struggled with his entire career is consistency, and although it wasn't as dramatic this year as years past he did go through rough stretches. One was particularly troublesome (to say the least), in which he went through a 13-game stretch where he only had one point which was an assist and had a minus-10 in those games but then on the flip-side, later in the season he had a nine-game stretch with five goals and four assists, along with a plus-1 rating. Although he is great during those "hot" stretches, he REALLY needs to eliminate the awful blunder of games he seems to have occasionally. If he found a way to continue his good play year-round, I personally believe he would be a 70 point guy...I mean he has the tools, and this year was a step in the right direction but I think he could do even better.

Season Grade (A+ to F-): B+
He had terrific numbers at the season's end but he needs to be more consistent and that's the only reason he didn't receive an A. In the games where he was "on" though, he was an absolute beast and to be perfectly honest if Blake Comeau doesn't improve his consistency and remains the player he is today, I would still be very happy with him on the Isles 3rd line. Although if he were to fix his issues he would get top-6 minutes with out a doubt. 

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