Anders Lee becomes a unique case when one approaches his dilemma. He plays a vital role in leadership and presents good value. His 2018-19 salary came in at just under $3.8 million.
The problem is that New York became so enamored with the idea of both Columbus main free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, that meant less time perhaps to focus on Lee. While his production dropped last year, it was still good against many odds. Let’s dig in.
Anders Lee contract year for the New York Islanders
Curiously, Lee’s projection was about a 50 point player with John Tavares heading to Toronto (close to a 30-20 split). Anders Lee finished with 28 goals and 23 assists for 51 points.
This included 204 shots on net and ten power play goals. Encouraging was the fact that his special teams’ points did not completely fall off a cliff. As a matter of fact, other than one really bad stretch, Lee improved as the season moved along. He nearly hit the 30-goal plateau anyway.
What could he do with an upgrade in talent? That becomes the burning question. On the other hand, the focus lies in the now and future. Lee displayed a class all season with the Islanders that was so obvious to see no matter if you were an Islanders fan or not.
Lee remains masterful at digging pucks out of corners and finding the right opposition at the right times. It becomes intriguing to see what Lee can do with just Mathew Barzal among his most consistent linemates as far as ice time.
Now, the even more fun part is that the forward shot below his expected goal percentage. He could bounce back a little. Lee hovered around 15% for most of his tenure as a member of the New York Islanders.
Again, the numbers from the Bill Comeau visualization support the contention that the focus is more than production and the dollar amount.”
What a new contract for Anders Lee could look like
According to Evolving Wild, Lee’s salary projection comes in at around $6.56 million AAV for seven seasons. The question asks itself. Do the Islanders see signing the player for that long? The term has been an issue from day one.
Just the fact that Lee went through with his promise to check out other teams is significant. He is the captain of the New York Islanders. Few expect the captain to just up and leave but now that possibility presents itself.
While the Islanders have been enamored with the idea of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, they tipped their hand on Lee. So, even if bygones are bygones, the Islanders forward will give little or no hometown discount now.
This tweet from Carey Haber sums up the situation succinctly.
The more I think about it, the less I'm convinced that the Anders Lee situation has to be an either/or scenario. And now by waiting this out, the risk of losing him – and his 28 goals – to free agency grows by the day.
— Carey Haber (@habermetrics) June 26, 2019
A few suggestions would be a slightly lesser term and a bit more dollars. Would a five year, $35 million dollar deal suffice or a four-year, $28 million dollar pact? At the least, these would be great starting points. This would also see how serious Anders Lee and his group are about the term.
Anders Lee carries a lot of intangible value including net-front presence among other talents. Add in leadership, ability to score goals in close, and great teammate gives the Islanders something to think about. At least, they should this July 1st. Their captain looks one more step closer to leaving and signing elsewhere.