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Anders Lee has the 'C' on his New York Islanders sweater.
It's unclear, though, whether the pending free agent will actually wear that again.
Lee will become an unrestricted free agent at 12 p.m. ET on July 1.
And after a beginning to an offseason that seemed to include Lee negotiating with the Islanders, no contract has been announced. Nothing is done. Lee appears to be leaving, or at least exploring the open market.
"A hulking winger who makes his living around the net, Lee appears set to move on from the Islanders," The Athletic's Chris Johnston wrote in his latest free agent rankings, in which Lee slots as No. 4. "He's a durable, hard-working player and remains a threat to score on the power play, which accounts for 30 of the 124 goals he scored across the past five seasons. Lee brings leadership intangibles, having worn the 'C' on Long Island, and profiles as a power forward who is tough to contain physically."
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Lee was a sixth-round pick by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Draft who went and played college hockey at Notre Dame before reaching the Islanders.
He has spent parts of 14 NHL seasons with this franchise, appearing in 923 games with 308 goals and 241 assists (549 points).
Lee has played 82 games in three of the past four seasons (and 81 in the other one). He's as reliable as they come for the Islanders.
In 2025-26, he finished with 19 goals, 23 assists and 91 hits.
Lee turns 36 in July. He's heading toward the end of his NHL journey.
And it looks like the finish line might be for a team other than the Islanders.
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