After 14 seasons with the New York Islanders, there were questions if he would be back. Today, on free agency day, those questions were answered. The Utah Mammoth went looking for the top available free agents and landed on offering the Anders Lee contract that gets him out of the Island. The deal is for three years and has an average annual value of $5.4 million. A captain in the NHL is not easy to replace on or off the ice, so bringing in a guy like Lee makes a lot of sense for the team moving forward.

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Anders Lee Contract With Utah

The Islanders drafted the soon-to-be 36-year-old winger all the way back in 2009. He ended up being a great value as he was taken in the sixth round as the 152nd overall pick out of Notre Dame. Since then, he has gone on to have a great career, spending the entirety of it on Long Island. His impact with the team, both on and off the ice, cannot be stated enough. He has had so much of an impact that he was named the 15th captain in Islander history back in 2019.

His play on the ice has remained mostly consistent throughout his career. Last season was no different as he contributed 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 82 games. Playing in a fluctuating role, some nights in the top-six, other nights on the third line, but always with some powerplay time. This campaign did, however, snap what was a four-year running 20-goal season streak. Another thing you get with Lee is availability; he has played in 82 games for the last two seasons running. He has played in 82 games, three of the last four years and the one season he didn’t reach 82 games, he appeared in 81.

What Does This Mean in Utah?

Utah already made a big splash in adding Vincent Trocheck earlier today. With Lee, an already fast and tough team to play against in Utah, will look to add even more strength to their punch.

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