NY Islanders position on expiring contracts changing based on season's success

Not long ago, the conversation around Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau felt pretty straightforward. Expiring contracts. New general manager. Tight cap picture. If the New York Islanders drifted out of the race, both veterans looked like logical trade candidates come spring.

Fast forward to now, and that narrative is starting to flip.

Under new GM Mathieu Darche, the Islanders entered this season with patience as the guiding principle. Darche has been clear that this year is about evaluation, not rushing to judgment. Lee and Pageau knew that going in — and instead of pressing for answers, both have gone out and played the kind of hockey that makes those answers harder to ignore.

Darche said it himself on Wednesday: “They’ve both played really well for us this year,” Darche told the DFO Rundown Insider Edition podcast. And that’s the key line Islanders fans should circle. These aren’t passengers on expiring deals. They’ve been tone-setters on a team sitting second in the Metro, helping stabilize a lineup that now features young cornerstones.

Lee, at 35, still looks every bit like a captain who understands how to survive an 82-game grind. He’s not the same player he was at 27 — but his net-front presence, leadership, and ability to score timely goals still matter, especially on a team that leans on structure and detail.

Pageau, 33, has arguably strengthened his case even more. He remains one of the Islanders’ most trusted two-way centers, reliable in defensive situations, strong on faceoffs, and quietly effective when games tighten up.

What’s changed isn’t just their play — it’s the context. The Islanders are winning. They’re in position. And Darche has ownership support, flexibility, and no pressure to sell prematurely. If Lee and Pageau keep doing what they’re doing, this may no longer be a deadline discussion. It may become a quiet spring pivot: from “who could be moved” to “who deserves to stay.”

That’s a good problem to have — and one Islanders fans should be very comfortable with right now.