New York Islanders: Stanley Cup Playoffs Profile, Anders Lee

If the New York Islanders were to run the table and win the Stanley Cup, the first person called upon to hoist it would be Anders  Lee. The Isles is in his first year as Captain of the team and they are playoff bond. Here is his profile.

Say what you want about New York Islanders Captain Anders Lee, but he is on the cusp of helping leading the Islanders to their first home playoff series in decades. While Lee is still a free agent after this season, and long-term concerns remain, I am worried about the now.

Right now, Lee has two games to try to score his 29th and 30th goal of the season, if he hits that mark, he will have scored 70 goals the last two seasons. No matter what letter, if any, he is wearing on his sweater, that is wildly impressive. If he gets those two goals, that would put him at in the top 15 for NHL goal scorers the last two seasons, according to quanthockey.com.

Last season, it was him hitting the 40 goal mark that was impressive, but that accomplishment came at what cost? The Islanders were not a very good team, missed the playoffs, and led the league in goals against.

This season, he, along with many other players on this team, seem to be sacrificing personal accolades for the greater benefits of the team and their success. Lee is no exception. He could go from scoring 40, to maybe not even 30 the next season, an interesting drop off.

But again, he is leading the Islanders into the playoffs. In his NHL playoffs career, he has played in just five games, in 2014-2015. If you remember correctly, Lee did not play in the playoffs when the Isles made it back the next season, perhaps in part to how he ended up doing in the playoffs just the year prior.

In those playoff games he did play, he underwhelmed, massively. He scored zero goals and had just one assist. He had a negative rating and seven PIM. So, that series against Washington is one he would probably like to have back.

It might be noteworthy that Lee does have some playoff/big game experience from his days at Notre Dame where they made the Frozen Four when Lee played t

here in 2011. Obviously, you could hardly compare the two, but it could be experience Lee reflects on to help him this season.

Overall, we know the kind of player that Lee is. He is a stalwart in front of the net and is, in my opinion, one of the best players on this team. The leadership stuff Barry Trotz saw in him speaks for itself, but he is a proven goal scorer and top line winger, if Lee scores, the rest of the Isles will go with him.

Lee heads into Thursday night’s contest down in Florida riding high on a three game point streak and could benefit to staying hot while entering the playoffs.

Anders Lee has some questions about what is going to happen this summer, but with a great playoffs and a Cup run to any extent, he could leave the Islanders without any doubts. With a solid playoffs, they will throw the extension on his just as fast as they threw the “C” on him.