The Utah Mammoth wasted little time making their presence felt on Free Agent Frenzy day, landing a veteran scorer and swinging a separate trade with the New York Rangers.
First came Anders Lee. Utah signed the 35-year-old winger to a three-year, $16.2 million contract that carries a $5.4 million cap hit, the club announced Wednesday.
Lee arrives after putting up 19 goals and 42 points in 82 games with the New York Islanders last season. The 6-foot-3 forward was playing on a seven-year, $49 million deal with a $7 million cap hit before this new agreement.
A longtime Islanders fixture, Lee was selected 152nd overall in 2009 and has piled up 308 goals and 549 points across 923 career games. He was named captain of the Islanders in October of 2018.
His resume also includes helping New York reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021, with both runs ending against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Lee has also worn a U.S. sweater three times at the World Hockey Championship, winning bronze in 2015 and 2018.
Utah’s other major move Wednesday brought in Vincent Trocheck from the Rangers. In the deal, New York is set to receive defenceman Sean Durzi, forward Cole Beaudoin and a 2027 third-round pick.
Trocheck, 33, is coming off a 16-goal, 53-point season in 67 games with the Rangers. The 5-foot-11 centre is entering the fifth year of a seven-year, $39.375 million contract that carries a $5.625 million annual cap hit, and he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2028-29 season.
Drafted 64th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2011, Trocheck has recorded 239 goals and 631 points in 868 career games with the Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Rangers.
Internationally, the Pittsburgh native was part of the United States team at The Winter Olympic Games this season, finishing with three assists and a gold medal. He also suited up for the U.S. at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where the Americans finished second, and at the 2014 World Hockey Championship, where they placed fourth.
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