Michael Grabner 2010-11 SEASON REVIEW:

Michael Grabner
Date of birth: October 05, 1987  (2010-11 Season Age: 22/23)

Place of birth: Villach, Austria
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170
Shooting Hand: Left
NHL Season: ROOKIE
Drafted: Canucks In the 1st Round (14th Overall) of the 2006 NHL Draft 
Acquired: Claimed off of waivers from the Florida Panthers

2010-11 Season Stats:
New York Islanders   NHL:   GP: 76  G: 34  A: 18  P: 52  PIM: 10

Short-Term Status: 

I actually think he will see an increase in minutes next season and possibly some more power play time as he was 18th on the team in average PP ice-time per game with only 54 seconds. Now although he played incredibly well in his first full NHL season, next year he must come back with the same effort to prove this was no fluke.

Long-Term Status:
I personally believe Grabby has become a key player in the Islanders organization. He is the type of player that not only will excite the crowd but will provide a unique, useful element to the line-up. I think he will be a big part of this club going forward.

Contract Status:

LENGTH: 3 YEAR(S)     VALUE: $2,550,000     TYPE: ENTRY LEVEL     EXPIRY STATUS: RFA (2011) ****CONTRACT EXPIRES THIS OFF-SEASON****
SEASON	AHL SALARY	NHL SALARY	P. BONUSES	S. BONUS	CAP HIT
2006-07	ENTRY-LEVEL SLIDE			$85,000	$900,000
2007-08	ENTRY-LEVEL SLIDE			$85,000	$871,667
2008-09	$62,500	$850,000	$100,000	$85,000	$843,333
2009-10	$62,500	$765,000	$50,000	$0	$843,333
2010-11	$62,500	$765,000	$0	$0	$843,333

Review: 

The start of this season was not the way Grabner would have wanted, as he was waived by the Panthers and this season at a new organization, after being traded by the Canucks during the summer, seemed as though it was over before it began. Thankfully for Michael Grabner (and the Isles) it was a blessing in disguise as he was claimed by the Islanders and after a slow start, he really turned into a impact player. From the All-Star Game (the only Islanders representative) on, he was one of the BEST players in all of the NHL. That's easily distinguished by looking at his stats which were shockingly impressive. He finished the season with 34 goals which had him tied for 8th most in the NHL and 1st among all rookies. Grabner's 34 goals as a rookie is the most of any rookie since the 2005-06 season when Crosby scored 39 and Ovechkin scored 52, thats great company to be around. What I find ridiculously impressive is the fact that he was this effective with such a small amount of ice time. He only averaged 15:04 of ice time per game which is the lowest average TOI of any of the top 60 goalscorer's in the NHL. Incredibly, of all players in the top 10 for most goals, his TOI is the lowest by 3:10 which is equivalent to a handful of shifts. Another disadvantage he had from other top goal scorer's was his lack of PP goal's. He only had 2, which was the lowest PP goal total of any player in the top 40 goal scorer's. The fact that he wasn't given the same opportunity's as other top goalscorer's really makes you believe that he could have potentially scored a lot more than he did. An aspect of his game that he really improved on was his defensive play which seemed to be the only knock on his game coming into the season. That massive improvement led to him becoming a consistent member of the Islanders Penalty Kill down the stretch. Not only was he strong defensively during the PK but he was always a threat to score as shown by his 6 shorthanded goal's which were 2nd in the league (1st was Frans Nielsen with 7). He is one of the fastest players I have ever seen and from his win at the All Star Game fastest skater competition, he is officially the fastest skater in the NHL today. The fact that he can go from stopped to top speed in literally 2 seconds is what creates a lot of his opportunities. He is able to create a lot of turnovers, as he had the most take-away's of any rookie with 69, and then because of that acceleration he is able to quickly separate himself from the opposition. His plus-13 +/- led all Islander players and just goes to show how his presence on the ice just seems to positively influence his line-mates and it seems as though he rarely is out for a goal against. He is one hell of a player and he had one of the most impressive year's of any Islander. 

Season Grade (A+ to F-): A++++, 11/10, 110%, (Anything to show beyond any expectations)
Just one of the most impressive season's I have seen in a long time. There is literally nothing to criticize as he was impressive in all facets of the game. I hope he plays like this next season because he would be a top player in the NHL for sure.

MAIN SEASON REVIEW PAGE:
PLAYER REVIEWS