Deadline Approaches, But Anders Lee Keeps Focus On Playoffs — Not Contract
With 24 games remaining, Anders Lee remains focused on securing a playoff berth as the pending UFA approaches a pivotal trade deadline.
EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Islanders captain Anders Lee is a pending unrestricted free agent in the final season of a seven-year deal worth $7 million annually.
When we spoke with Lee at the beginning of the season, he didn’t have much interest in talking about his contract status. He’s been the captain of this team since 2019 — a darn good one, too. He has laid his roots on Long Island. This is where he wants to be.
However, the decision about his future wouldn’t be up to him alone. While he did have a full no-trade clause for the first five seasons of his deal, it has since been modified to a 15-team no-trade clause.
After missing the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a group that may have been running stale, leading to a general manager change from the legendary Lou Lamoriello to first-year general manager Mathieu Darche, Lee’s future and others were up in the air, depending on the direction the former Tampa Bay Lightning assistant general manager wanted to go.
Flash-forward to now, and the Islanders are sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 24 games to go. Darche has already added two players to the roster — forward Ondrej Palat and defenseman Carson Soucy — with less than a few weeks to go before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline on March 6th (my birthday).
I spoke with Lee about his situation and the deadline.