Lee rumors

Like this idea a lot as a Hawks fan but there's no way Lee signs for 6.5. Hayes just got north of 7 million in Philly and Lee is a far more complete player and better scorer. With over 4.5 million left in cap in this scenario its still achievable, but Lee's AAV would and should be bumped to around 7.5-8 million

2 years in a row a captain leaves NYI …. the fanbase might internally combust

I love Anders but the back end of that deal is gonna be terrible. Dude is almost 29. We saw Matt Moulson go on the same 3 year tear with the Islanders, hit 30 and then crashed to earth. His play style doesn't age well.

JT leaving was brutal but now with Lou and Trotz in the fold the fan base will be alot more understanding if they balk at giving Lee 6 or 7 years. I personally would be fine letting Lee walk instead of giving him those years. We have seen with Perry how fast a power forward can fall off the map.

Lou will absolutely need to add two really solid top 6 forwards if he does walk though. If he doesn’t Islanders fans will be pissed.

I love Lee and he brings a lot of leadership, goal scoring, and he is great along the boards but he is just okay defensively and a slow skater. Hayes is probably a more complete player at the center position but Lee is a solid bet to score 25-30 for the next three years which is valuable.