New York Islanders: Anders Lee would be more suited on the third line

There is no question that New York Islanders’ captain Anders Lee is a talented hockey player. Just three seasons ago, the Minnesota native scored a career-high 34 goals, before following up that strong season with an even 40.

Anders Lee proved he could be an overwhelming player to guard at the NHL level, using his 6-foot-3, 231-pound frame to win puck battles and get a strong position in front of the opposing netminder.

When it came time for a contract extension back in the summer of 2019, the team rewarded him with a seven-year, $49 million deal to remain the captain of the team. With the help of a world-class tandem in General Manager Lou Lamoriello at the helm and Head Coach Barry Trotz behind the bench, Lee was to lead this franchise back to being a true cup contender.

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Since signing the deal, however, Lee has not been producing at the same rate offensively. But that does not mean he still has not been a consistent offensive threat. His first year following the new deal, Lee lit the lamp 28 times, with 23 assists in 2018-19, before scoring 20 times with 23 assists in this COVID-shortened 68-game campaign.

So why should a guy producing like that be moved down on the depth chart?

There are a few reasons why it would be a rather intelligent move by Trotz and his staff, a move that will only make this team deeper.

Acquiring a High-Caliber Winger

The Islanders have been looking for someone to play alongside superstar in the making Mat Barzal for a few years now. During the reign of John Tavares, he had the lead role. On most nights, there were very few supporting roles, which was a major issue for the franchise. When Tavares had the chance to leave he did, heading home to join a Toronto Maple Leafs team with more offensive weapons around him.

Ironically, the Islanders became a better team, while the star-filled Maple Leafs are still struggling to figure things out.

This franchise can ill-afford to see Barzal make a similar decision in the coming years. While he has more support up and down the lineup, he needs someone he can trust to finish off the plays he creates, at a higher rate than what’s occurring right now. Barzal is also a player that the team is currently looking to sign to a team-friendlier deal amidst the flat cap. While he is an RFA and truly has no choice but to accept, unless an offer sheet comes his way, he needs assurances.

That being said, the fanbase has been eager to acquire a high-caliber offensive threat to join Barzal on that top line. While there is only one pure sniper remaining on the free-agent market in Mike Hoffman, the Islanders do not have the cap space to sign him right now, let alone RFA Barzal until undesirable contracts are dealt with. However, there are cheaper options, for example, a player like Anthony Duclair, but not a player that is a true first-liner.

The only way the team is going to get one of those types of players is via a trade. A name like Kyle Palmieri is one the Islanders are interested in, a player with one year remaining on his contract, but a consistent scorer playing on the top line in the garden state of New Jersey for a Devils team that is in a state of flux right now.

This hypothetical situation, if the Islanders were to acquire a winger, would directly result in Lee being dropped in the lineup. But it would not be from the first line to the second line, but rather to the third line alongside J-G Pageau and possibly a youngster in Oliver Wahlstrom, Keiffer Bellows, or dare I say it Joshua Ho-Sang. While the more likely option is UFA Derick Brassard, who has not been re-signed as of yet, rumors have been circulating that when the funds become available, he will get a contract offer.

The reason Lee would be on the move and not Jordan Eberle is due to the chemistry he has created with Barzal. While the only thing fans can think of when dreaming about what could have been, seeing the team just two games away from making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, was the number of goals that went by the board due to Eberle’s inability to finish. However, if we can look through that, it is easy to see that Barzal and Eberle work really well together because those scoring opportunities were there. Now, if Eberle struggles to score as he did in the postseason, then maybe this conversation takes a turn.

This does not mean that Lee does not have chemistry with Barzal, but both Eberle and Barzal use their speed and stick-handling to create separation. Lee is a big body who loves to go to the dirty areas, a role that is more fitting for a second or third liner. The problem is the second line consisting of Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Nelson, and Josh Bailey played so well together all year and in the postseason that they must stay together as a unit.

Could Lee play with Barzal and continue to have success? Of course he can. But moving him to the third line makes this team even deeper. Could Pageau be a first or a second-line center on other teams around the NHL? For sure, but he is the player centering the third line on a team filled with weapons up and down the lineup. I’ve discussed the power of the MC squared line in the past, the most important fourth line in all of hockey, something that is not up for debate in my book.

If the team were to not acquire anyone prior to the start of next season, I do believe Lee will remain on the top line. But once a better option becomes available, I think Trotz’s decision will not be too difficult.

Leadership Has Little To Do With Skill

Many people associate being the captain with being the most talented player on the team. Looking at the Edmonton Oilers, the team named Connor McDavid their captain back when he was still a teenager. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are the best players on their team and were both named captains. While that has become a regularity, being a captain does not mean you need to be the best player.

It means you need to be a leader off the ice and on the ice, working your tail off every shift. Former Islanders captain Doug Weight was a third-line player for this team before he took over as Head Coach for a few years.

Tavares held the captaincy role before leaving the team to don the “C” with the Leafs. Quite frankly, on most occasions, he did not speak much after losses. But with Anders Lee, you can tell with his emotions and his words that he is a born leader. Regardless of skill, some people in life just have that trait. It cannot be taught.

So wherever Lee is playing, he will bring the same leadership qualities to the rink each day. While I cannot and will not assume that he will be happy with the move, he has proven that he is a team player. Even when his return was “in the air” last offseason before signing his long-term deal, he understood the team needed to try for Artemi Panarin. He said that he wanted to stay on the Island, as he was in constant talks on trying to make it work.

And that speaks volumes.

Beneficial to His Career

Lee is not getting any younger folks. Lee and his agent getting the team to agree to a seven-year deal was a little bit of a battle, as given his past with injuries, as well as his style of play, the team wanted a shorter term. However, when the team failed at reaching an agreement with Panarin, who took less money to join the cross-town New York Rangers, the Islanders gave Lee what he wanted. Was it because the team could not afford to see another captain leave? Could be, but regardless, he was here to stay.

This past season, Lee averaged more minutes per game than ever in his career with 18:18 of ATOI. He was effective. His game-style did not change, as in a full season, he would have accumulated more hits than he had in the last three years.  He was a block short of his career-high of 51. So his body is not failing him yet. But the keyword is yet. Although we wish to never see his body fail, hoping he can retire healthy and happy, why not give him fewer minutes to preserve him.

On most teams, the third line may have quite a less significant role than the first, but not on this Islander club. Each line has a different job, which makes this team rather hard to play against. Lee would not be wasting away on the third line.

With six years remaining on his contract, Lee will be 36 when it expires. The goal is for him to not see a drop off in his play. Moving him down will surely help with that.

Final Thoughts

Anders Lee is one of those players that may not impact the scoresheet every night. The team does not need him too to have success. As stated above, he is a leader, a leader that this team needs to keep them playing to the level that we all know they can play at. This past season was mediocre. The postseason run was enjoyable to watch, finishing two games shy of a Stanley Cup Final berth, but this team is missing a key piece to get them over the top.

That is out of Lee’s control. All he can do is play where his coach tells him, to the best of his ability. A move down in the lineup is not a negative thing in my book and if the team wants to be stronger than ever, it may make more sense.