Islanders: Michael Dal Colle 2021 Season Grade

Honestly, I struggled trying to get this one started. How can I even go about grading Michael Dal Colle who played just 26 for the Islanders this year? And in the 26 games he did play, it was such a bizarre year for him.

In the third game of the season for the Islanders, it was the Michael Dal Colle show. He was great in the 13:56 that he played putting up two assists in the first period. But then it was back to Dal Colle being quiet playing on the Isles third line.

He averaged 11:03 of ice time over that stretch, didn’t have any points, and had just five shots on goal. On March 18, he’d put up another two-point night against Philadelphia including his first and only goal on the season.

He’d play just nine more games after that and didn’t put up another point. It was a season of coming in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch and then later on an injury too. He didn’t play a single game for the Isles in the playoffs.

Dal Colle would finish the regular season with 26 games played and four points (1 goal, 3 assists). Throw out the window that he’s in a more defensive role now on the third line, he was still anemic offensively.

He averaged just .73 shots per game and now over 111 career NHL games, he has just eight goals and 21 points.

To his credit, Dal Colle did finish sixth on the team in CF% with a 51.07 and was ninth in SCF% with a 53.33 according to Natural Stat Trick. Hockey Stat Card gave him an average Game Score of 0.27 on the season which was 15th of 23 qualified skaters on the Isles.

Basically, Dal Colle wasn’t a liability. He just didn’t move the needle forward. Like, at all.

The ironic part, for someone who is labeled a good defensive player, he only played 16 seconds on the penalty kill this year. That’s the least of any player on the Islanders. Heck, Braydon Coburn had more ice time on the PK and he only played three games.

He’s an RFA this year, and the Isles will probably bring him back but it won’t be anything more than the veteran minimum. He’s a replacement-level bottom-six forward who is probably a 13th forward on this team. I can’t give him a failing grade, but he doesn’t pass by much.

Final Grade: D