Anders Lee's decorated NY Islanders career comes to an end; signs with Utah

The New York Islanders will have a new captain.

The inevitable became official on the opening day of NHL free agency Wednesday, as longtime Islanders captain Anders Lee signed a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth worth an average annual value of $5.4 million, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.

The move ends Lee's 14-year tenure with the organization, a run that included the final eight seasons wearing the "C" on Long Island.

Lee's departure marks the end of an era for the Islanders as GM Mathieu Darche wouldn't budge when it came to term for the perennial 20-goal scorer. According to previous reports from TSN, the Islanders improved their offer to Lee late in negotiations after the veteran forward informed the club on Tuesday that he intended to test the open market. While both sides reportedly remained open to a reunion, they ultimately failed to find common ground. It remains unclear whether the Islanders ever offered Lee more than a one-year contract.

Would Lee have accepted a hometown discount if the Islanders had offered a two-year deal? Perhaps. It's a question that may never be answered. What is clear, however, is that Darche made the decision to prioritize organizational flexibility over retaining one of the franchise's most respected leaders and popular figures.

Lee, who turns 36 on Friday, finished the 2025-26 season with 19 goals and 42 points, narrowly missing his ninth career 20-goal campaign. He remained one of the Islanders' most consistent forwards despite a disappointing season that saw the team collapse down the stretch, dismiss head coach Patrick Roy with four games remaining, and miss the playoffs by eight points.

Now, the Islanders move forward without the face of their franchise for the better part of a decade.

The next question becomes who will wear the captain's "C" when the Islanders open the 2026-27 season.

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