Anders Lee spent 14 years with the New York Islanders, the team that drafted him 152nd overall back in 2009. Lee stepped into a crucial leadership position when former captain John Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now, history is repeating itself with another Islanders captain entering the free-agency as an unrestricted free agent and choosing to sign somewhere else.
Lee has been the Islanders captain for the past eight years. In this time, he helped lead the team to some of their most successful seasons in the modern era. This includes their back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2020 and 2021. On July 1st, Lee signed with the Utah Mammoth for three-years at $5.4 mil AAV.
The impact Lee has both on the ice and in the locker room will be difficult to replace. Lee has nine seasons where he has scored over 20 goals with the Islanders. This past season he fell just shy of that, still scoring an impactful 19 goals. He is a dependable goal scorer that will be hard to replace. In addition to this, he is known to be a great mentor and locker room presence.
The Islanders now face a few gaps ahead of the 2026-27 season with limited cap space to fix them.
Free Agency Signing
The signing of left-winger Matias Maccelli is more impressive than it looks on paper. Signing for just one year at $2.25mil AAV, Maccelli will most likely fill a gap as a middle-six forward. This past season with the Leafs wasn’t his best, but the Islanders are giving him the benefit of the doubt. Aside from last season, he is known to be a playmaker who can generate points. This will be a crucial season for the 25-year-old. This signing looks like it will provide high value at a low cost for the Islanders.
Addressing Leadership Gaps
Bo Horvat is one of the obvious choices for the Islanders captaincy. Currently, he wears an A for the team and is one of their top goal scorers. Plus, he has the experience of being an NHL captain with the Vancouver Canucks from 2019-2023.
Brayden Schenn is another player who is likely to step up into a leadership position with the team, even if it’s not in an official capacity. Schenn also has leadership experience as the captain of the St. Louis Blues in 2023. He spent almost nine seasons in St. Louis before being dealt at the 2025-26 trade deadline to the Islanders.
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