New York Islanders: Extended or not, respect for Anders Lee never in doubt

For a team that is looking ahead to the future, the New York Islanders sure did some fantastic work this season. Anders Lee was leading part of their success, and while an extension before July 1 might not happen, the trust in him by management was never in doubt.

The New York Islanders, as I’ve noted before, have the unfortunate honor of potentially losing their team captain in back-to-back offseasons. If Anders Lee does leave, they will have also lost arguably two of their best scorers of the last five seasons or so.

However, nothing is official or unofficial yet, so that’s great. But, with the NHL Draft looming, and the July 1 free agency period getting closer, it seems less likely the Isles strike a deal with Lee before then.

Now, this is not to say he will leave, but if the market is going to pay him quite handsomely, the New York Islanders might not. It’s typical in sports that there is not room for everybody. That’s why we are all not on TV playing games for a living. For the Islanders, they don’t even have enough room or cap space to keep most of their young players in just one offseason.

What is on Lee’s side is that the Islanders and Lou Lamoriello are not scared to extend their offensive talents who could have otherwise walked. What is not in Lee’s favor is the fact that he has not been one of the players continued.

The players who have been extended were Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle. Robin Lehner is another free agent to be who has talked about re-signing. Players want to be here, that is no longer a question.