If any of you were worried that Michael Grabner wasn’t going to sign with the New York Islanders, you can lay those thoughts to rest as the impending RFA (Restricted Free Agent) has just signed a 5-year deal with the team. According to Katie Strang of Newsday, the average cost per year of the contract is $3 million and the salary increases by $1 million for each year of the deal.

It will be up to @grabs40 (@grabs40 is Grabner’s Twitter ID) to prove this past season wasn’t a fluke and that he can be a consistent contributor to the offense. Grabner had some great goal scoring stretches, and one thing that he didn’t lack in even when he wasn’t scoring was opportunity. His speed led to many breakaways, but his finishing was questionable at times. He’s still young though, and one thing you can’t teach is blinding speed.

Rolling the dice with a 5-year deal for Grabner is a typical move by GM Garth Snow. The average yearly price tag of $3 million isn’t bad for the Islanders, and the fact that it is loaded toward the future years makes it even better for the cash conscious team. Grabner has a lot to prove, so the length of the deal provides him with security. All things considered, this deal makes a lot of sense right now for all parties involved as the team pushes to build the new Nassau Coliseum.

I think everyone knew signing Grabner was a priority for the team. I called it a few days ago in this tweet. Let’s see which RFA is next to re-sign. Kyle Okposo anyone?