The Islanders made the right move letting Anders Lee go

One of the most controversial moves this offseason for the New York Islanders was the departure of Anders Lee. The Isles’ erstwhile captain moved on, signing a three-year, $16.2 million deal with the Utah Mammoth.

The deal carries a $5.4 million cap hit, suggesting the rift between Lee and the Islanders was about money. Now, this statement isn’t meant to paint Lee as an avaricious individual. It points to the fact that Lee was unwilling to give the Islanders a break.

This is a crucial point and the reason why the Islanders made the right move.

Players are perfectly within their purview to seek the best payday they can get. Any one of us would think the same way if placed in the same situation.

However, when players seek the best possible deal, it can put the team in tough salary cap situations.

The Islanders could not afford that. As much as the club wanted to keep Lee, it wasn’t in a position to pay over $5 million for a 36-year-old forward. While Lee had a solid season, the decline in his production has become evident.

He had a strong bounce-back season in 2024-25, scoring 29 goals and 54 points after scoring 37 points the year before. But the regression this past season is potentially a sign of a broader decline.

Of course, keeping Lee would have been crucial insofar as leadership is concerned. But there’s a lot more than just a great locker room guy to justify the price tag. The Islanders, with about $3 million in cap space at the moment, just wouldn’t have been able to fit Lee’s desired contract and still round out the roster.

It was a tough call, but it’s the kind that playoff teams need to make.

Lee makes much more sense for Mammoth than Islanders

The Mammoth, for their part, was a much better landing spot for Lee. The club has a young core that clearly could have used much more veteran support in last spring’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The club added Vincent Trocheck and Andrew Peeke this offseason. Bringing in Lee helped give the young club another solid veteran voice.

That’s not really the case in Long Island. The Islanders have plenty of clubhouse guys like Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, and Brayden Schenn. That’s not something the Mammoth can say. They needed more solid veterans to help the younger guys navigate the rigors of playing in the “Death Valley” Central Division.

So, here’s hoping that Anders Lee fits in well in Utah, helping his new club find success in one of the NHL’s roughest neighborhoods.

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