New York Islanders
· 2026-07-01
New York Islanders captain Anders Lee is becoming an unrestricted free agent this offseason, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
The decision was made after the Islanders improved their offer, but Lee's camp and the organization couldn't agree on contract length.
Anders Lee has spent his entire 14-year career with the New York Islanders and has been the team's captain for the past seven seasons.
Lee's departure leaves a significant gap in the team's leadership, and his contributions on the ice will be difficult to replace.
The New York Islanders are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 43-34 record, on a L3 streak.
The door remains open for the New York Islanders to re-sign Lee, but he will start hearing from other teams on Wednesday.
According to NHL Network's Stefen Rosner, the gap in contract negotiations came down to length, with Lee's camp looking for a two-year pact and the Isles unwilling to go past one year.
Anders Lee has played in 923 games, scoring 308 goals and 241 assists, and has been a true iron man, missing just one game over the last four seasons.
The New York Islanders made the playoffs four times during Lee's seven-year contract, getting as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019-20.
Lee was rewarded with a seven-year, $49 million contract by the New York Islanders in 2019, shortly after being named team captain.
The New York Islanders will need to find a new captain and replace Lee's production on the ice, making this offseason a critical one for the team.