Some things in hockey just hit wrong the first time you see them. Anders Lee in a Utah Mammoth jersey was one of those moments.
At his introductory press conference this week, Lee was seated alongside Vincent Trocheck, wearing No. 72 instead of the No. 27 New York Islanders fans had come to know for 14 seasons on Long Island. He also had the captain’s “C” from the Islanders’ past behind him in memory, even if the new setting was all about a different logo and a different chapter.
“It’s a big change,” Lee admitted. “But every day I look at this jersey and the logo and start to like it even more.”
For Islanders fans, the sight was jarring. But it was also familiar.
They’ve watched this before, most recently with Brock Nelson, who finished last season in a Colorado Avalanche jersey after spending nearly his entire career on Long Island. Josh Bailey, another longtime Islanders favorite, even showed up in a Senators sweater while attending training camp on a professional tryout after his Islanders run ended.
It never looks quite right. That’s just how pro sports works.
And Lee isn’t the first great Islander to finish somewhere else, either. Clark Gillies ended his Hall of Fame career with the Buffalo Sabres.
Bryan Trottier left after the dynasty years and won two more Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. John Tonelli, another piece of that legendary core, was traded to the Calgary Flames before his career wrapped up elsewhere.
Their banners still hang from the rafters at UBS Arena.
Their place in franchise history never changed.
The same will be true for Lee. His exit alters the Islanders, sure, and seeing him in another uniform will always feel strange.
But his legacy was locked in long before Utah entered the picture. He’ll be remembered as the captain who helped bring the Islanders back into relevance, guided them to consecutive conference final appearances, and kept cashing in on the kind of greasy goals that come from living at the front of the net.
The sweater changed this week. The respect won’t.
In Other News...
Islanders Linked To Risky Scoring Gamble Fans Have Been Begging For
The Islanders are still looking for a way to juice a scoring attack that has too often left them searching for answers, and the trade market is naturally part of that conversation. Around the league, one name surfacing in the rumor mill is a high-profile Vancouver forward whose production has slipped from the level that once made him one of the more dangerous scorers in the NHL, but whose pedigree still makes him an intriguing swing for a team desperate to add offense.
The appeal is obvious, even if the price tag is not. Any deal of that magnitude would come with serious cap implications and real risk, especially with his recent numbers trending well below his earlier peak seasons. Some analysts have even framed the kind of return Vancouver might seek as a best-case scenario comparable to the Darnell Nurse trade, which tells you plenty about how complicated this kind of gamble would be for the Islanders. [Read more 🡒]
Anders Lee Opens Up On The Islanders Exit He Never Saw Coming
Anders Lees departure from the Islanders landed as one of those rare offseason twists that still feels a little unreal, even with the calendar already turned. After 14 seasons in New York and a long run as captain, Lee has signed a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth, ending a tenure that had come to define both player and team. The split came after the sides could not find common ground on a new deal, but there was no bitterness in the way Lee framed it, only the kind of respect that usually lingers when a chapter closes before anyone expected it to.
Lee said he never really saw himself wearing another sweater, which is part of what makes this move hit differently for Islanders fans. He also made clear that the decision was not made lightly, with several clubs involved in free agency before Utah emerged as the fit that made the most sense for him and his family. Even so, the emotional weight of saying goodbye to teammates he called "my guys" is hard to miss, and it leaves the Islanders facing the familiar challenge of moving on from a player who was supposed to be part of the ending. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Bailey Just Received The Kind Of Recognition Islanders Fans Love
Josh Baileys name has been part of the Islanders fabric for so long that it is easy to forget how rare that kind of run has become. Over 15 seasons, he carved out a place in franchise history by staying put, piling up 1,057 regular-season games and becoming only the third player in team history to reach 1,000, while also earning an All-Star nod in 2017-18 during one of his strongest seasons.
For Islanders fans, the lasting value of Baileys career was never just about durability. He was there for meaningful playoff moments, too, the kind that stick in the memory long after the regular season ends, and his connection to the Long Island hockey community only deepened the sense that he was one of their own. Now that recognition has followed him in a new way, with another honor underscoring just how much he meant to the organization and the people around it. [Read more 🡒]