As Anders Lee stands on the brink of free agency, you'd think he'd be all about Anders Lee. After all, at 35, the New York Islanders' captain is on the cusp of exploring the open market for just the second time in his NHL career.
The Islanders have been his home since day one, and he's proudly worn the captain's "C" since the 2018-19 season. Fourteen seasons deep with the franchise, Lee has every reason to be solely focused on his future.
But if you know Anders Lee, you know that's not his style.
Friday night, instead of getting lost in his own thoughts about what comes next, Lee was busy doing what he's always done-being a leader. As the Islanders celebrated snagging Swedish defenseman Malte Gustafsson with the 13th overall pick, Lee picked up the phone to welcome the newest Islander to Long Island.
It wasn't a required task, no obligation there. But for anyone who's followed Lee's journey, this gesture was par for the course.
The Islanders' social media buzzed with a clip of both Lee and Mat Barzal surprising Gustafsson with a call after the draft, a testament to their team-first mentality.
Islanders GM Mathieu Darche summed it up perfectly after the NHL Draft, calling Lee "an outstanding human being." He emphasized that while the looming contract decisions are purely business, they don't reflect on Lee as an individual.
"He's great. Like I really appreciated what he did," Darche added.
The coming days will reveal whether Lee continues to create moments like these with the Islanders or carves out a new path with a different team. Regardless of where he ends up, one thing is clear: Anders Lee embodies the qualities you'd want in a captain. Even as he potentially closes this chapter, he's staying true to the role he's held with such distinction.
In Other News...
Islanders Camp Invitees Just Added A Twist Fans Will Notice
The Islanders Development Camp has a familiar family-thread feel to it this summer, with a pair of invitees adding a little extra intrigue around a franchise that already knows plenty about the Hagens and Nelson names. New Yorks draft decision in 2025, when it took Matthew Schaefer and passed on local prospect James Hagens, still lingers in the background, and now the camp roster is offering a reminder that the Islanders ties to that part of the hockey map are not going away anytime soon.
Michael Hagens and Henry Nelson both arrive with their own credentials and their own paths ahead, making them more than just interesting surname matches for Islanders fans to track. Michael is planning to continue his career at Vermont in 2026-27, while Henry is heading into his final NCAA season at Notre Dame, where the family connection only deepens the story around a group of players whose last names already mean something around this organization. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Fans Wont Like Where This Marc Gatcomb Situation Is Heading
Marc Gatcomb carved out a real role for the Islanders last season after being recalled from Bridgeport, bringing the kind of energy and edge that tends to earn steady attention in New York. The forward appeared in 49 games in 2024-25, chipped in three goals and four assists, and added the physical presence that has helped define his reputation since he turned pro after four seasons at the University of Connecticut.
Even with that kind of utility, the Islanders are moving on from the next step in the process. Gatcomb will not receive a qualifying offer before the deadline, which sets him up to become an unrestricted free agent when the market opens Wednesday, a decision that leaves one of the club's more hard-working depth pieces headed toward a difficult and uncertain next stop. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Just Created A New Question Around A Young Winger
The Islanders offseason roster churn has already started to create a familiar kind of uncertainty around young forwards, and Max Shabanov is now part of that conversation. After arriving last summer with some buzz, he got into 44 games and finished with 18 points, enough to keep him on the radar but not enough to make his next step feel straightforward.
Marc Gatcomb, Matt Maggio, Tristan Lennox and Ruslan Iskhakov also were not given qualifying offers, but Shabanov is the name worth watching because there is still a narrow window for something to get done before free agency opens. If he does reach the market as expected, the Islanders will have to decide whether to make a run at keeping him or watch a young winger they just brought in move on, possibly to another team that was chasing him only a year ago. [Read more 🡒]