KO and nielsen were his linemates in the rookie season once grabner emerged and okposo came back from his shoulder injury. I think to remember that grabner claimed okposo gelled the line together through his strong play along the boards and in the corners.
Michael Grabner
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KO and nielsen were his linemates in the rookie season once grabner emerged and okposo came back from his shoulder injury. I think to remember that grabner claimed okposo gelled the line together through his strong play along the boards and in the corners.
PK Cronin
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That was a loooooooong time ago, probably why I don't remember. Thanks for that.
Grabner`s value is at a all time low right now so trading him would not bring much back. He need to play and hopefully he can play better before you try to trade him.
Despite how much I like Nielsen I think he can bring the most trade value and Isles would highly unlikely trade any of their young prospects or roster players and big role guys like Nelson, Lee and KO because they do not have that much size up front to start with.
A deal between Canucks and Isles may work out. Canucks have young centers and wingers some on roster already and some in the system and some of these players are redundant as they are similar in attributes and styles. They will not trade Virtanen (Big and fast) and Bo Borvat (Big, strong 2 way and smart) but everyone else may be available with the right deal.
If Canucks is willing to trade Cassells for Nielsen (future potential 2 way player for speed and experience down the middle), I will go for it. Isles may have to take Higgins contract and as Higgins is a strong PK guy and may still recover from a down year, I think Isles can gamble on this. Isles may need to throwing a 2016 4th rounder (if they still have one) to balance the deal.
Also Cassells had great chemistry with MDC and played well together on that team. They were assigned on different line later in the year to balance out Oshawa`s offense. They are both excellent on PP and will help greatly on the Isles 2nd PP unit in a couple of years.
Despite how much I like Nielsen I think he can bring the most trade value and Isles would highly unlikely trade any of their young prospects or roster players and big role guys like Nelson, Lee and KO because they do not have that much size up front to start with.
A deal between Canucks and Isles may work out. Canucks have young centers and wingers some on roster already and some in the system and some of these players are redundant as they are similar in attributes and styles. They will not trade Virtanen (Big and fast) and Bo Borvat (Big, strong 2 way and smart) but everyone else may be available with the right deal.
If Canucks is willing to trade Cassells for Nielsen (future potential 2 way player for speed and experience down the middle), I will go for it. Isles may have to take Higgins contract and as Higgins is a strong PK guy and may still recover from a down year, I think Isles can gamble on this. Isles may need to throwing a 2016 4th rounder (if they still have one) to balance the deal.
Also Cassells had great chemistry with MDC and played well together on that team. They were assigned on different line later in the year to balance out Oshawa`s offense. They are both excellent on PP and will help greatly on the Isles 2nd PP unit in a couple of years.
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CREW99AW
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Isles are probably more aware then anyone that Grabner's value is at an all time low. Yet, Newsday still says he is the forward likely to be shopped as the isles try to recoup some draft picks.
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From an Islanders POV I think his salary(5M) makes it so they will dump him for the best offer on the table. On the plus side his cap hit(3M) isn't bad so you might get some teams who have cash to spend looking for depth bite
CREW99AW
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Gonna be interesting to see if the isles move him for picks or if they have to take back a cap dump like Purcell.
blitzkriegs
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His value is not as low as you think. He was injured - teams know that. However, his combo of speed (when there), PK, and teasing with the offense is definitely rare in this league and a team would be more than willing to pay for him, especially as an impending UFA and with the cap/cash differential a chi, lak, phi, Bos will be more than interested.
He just didn't fit into Isles salary structure and he lost his 'job' due to his injuries.
My guess is a 3rd at worst, and we might be able to sneak late into the 2nd round.
blitzkriegs
Registered User
If he doesn't have a secure spot on NYI, which is most likely the case, then either he or his agent will probably want to seek a trade. He needs to play in his UFA year. You bet his agent realizes that if his client is not getting/earning minutes with NYI, he'll need to make a change in order to get his value up to get paid by another team.
I think that's about right. and considering how this draft is supposedly really deep, I'd gladly take a 2nd rounder for Grabs. Right now before FA, we have too many veteran forwards. Its good to have depth, but having a situation where you have to make Grabner a healthy scratch 50% of the time isn't necessarily a good one. Of course, having an extra legit NHL winger ready to go when a player goes down is also of value.
Right now, we have a slight excess of veteran forwards but a real lack of 20-22 year olds in the AHL with NHL ability. I guess Mike Halmo could be a 14th/15th forward - same as Kael Mallrat, but those aren't guys I would want to fully count on.
We could use a few guys to slip through waivers that could help out for the short term in the event some guys go down. The 2015 version of Jack Skille, I guess.
blitzkriegs
Registered User
How do you classify 'veterans?' It was apparent to many, including the media in NA and CAN that the Isles LACKED veterans in their lineup to take them to the next level.
2ndGenIslander
Registered User
man i love grabs but i have to say i agree with you on this one when it comes to best interest of the team long-term
LeapOnOver
Mackenzie is a hack!
Nah, I disagree, Grabner is absolutely in red flag territory right now. It looks like the injuries have affected his number 1 asset, his speed. Anybody can tell you watching him that it looks like he's lost a step. I think teams are well aware of that. I don't think anybody takes a bite on him until they are assured he hasn't slowed down.
In this context, I'm talking about guys who are legit NHLers. Guys who expect to be starting for a team , not merely being happy making the roster (i.e. CMac, Skille, etc.). In that vein, we have 13 forwards under contract or at least RFAs. So, assuming someone isn't moved, we have to have a guy like Grabner, Lee, Kule, Grabo, Nelson, Clutter, Martin, Bailey or Cizikas as a scratch.
There are a number of flaws on this team, but our issue with going to the next level was our decimated Dcorp, not the lack of veteran leadership. But regardless, having our young guys gain that extra year of experience is good thing for us going forward.
If it was a sports hernia then once it's healed that should have no affect on his speed. If he was playing with a bulging hernia then that could explain his loss of speed due to discomfort when pushing off. If it was a groin issue then that's could be game changer.
BiPolar Caps
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Straight up deal from the Capitals, Brooks Laich for Michael Grabner. Laich a few years back also had sports hernia issues but he has fully recuperated from them (surgery). Laich is a 3rd/4th liner C/LW who's good on our PK. He has another year remaining after this coming season and his cap hit is 4.5 vs. Grabner's 3. Laich's style may be better suited for Cappy and the Isles.
Sheva7
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rikker
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A "fully recuperated" Brooks Laich is probably a worse player than an injured Michael Grabner.
Sheva7
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I hope not. The guy deserves to be given a shot now that he's on track to finally be healthy.
WinhallVT124
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Is there a Defenseman who has the same type of contract as Grabner in which we can make some sort of lateral move that might help us?
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