After carefully considering his options following the conclusion of the regular season, Anders Lee decided to stay put in Brooklyn, signing a long-term deal with the New York Islanders.
According to a report from Michael Russo of The Athletic Minnesota, Anders Lee came to terms on an agreement for a maximum of seven years with the New York Islanders, meanwhile, he will receive an annual average value of $7 million over the lifetime of the brand new deal.
This was then confirmed by Pierre LeBrun just a moment later while he also added on that his salary is set to fluctuate, paying the 28-year-old winger a $49 million total. A club announcement has since been made to officially confirm the transaction.
In taking a look now at Lee’s statistics for the 2018-2019 regular season, the American native of Edina, Massachusetts scored 28 goals and 23 assists, making for 51 points registered in a total of 82 games played. He also added 58 penalty minutes and a Plus/Minus rating of 20.
As for the entirety of his NHL career as a whole, the newly named captain has scored 152 goals and 106 assists, making for 258 points registered in a total of 425 games played. He has also added 256 penalty minutes through seven seasons completed in the National Hockey League.
Lee, who became the team’s 15th captain at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, is a former sixth-round draft pick (152nd overall) by the Islanders at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. At this time, Lee is coming off a four-year contract worth $15 million, meanwhile, he made his NHL debut towards the conclusion of the 2012-2013 regular season.
If you take a look at what there is that Lee can provide, he has managed to rack up a total of 24 power play points over the last two seasons. As for his advanced statistics, they are almost as telling as his production given that his possession numbers were 49.2 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 2.1.
As noted by William Grigsby of Last Word On Hockey, Lee avoids the same fate as John Tavares who was the team’s previous captain before landing with Toronto. In addition to that, not only is Lee capable of performing when it comes to the power play, but he is also a shooter with accuracy who provides a strong presence when it comes to offensive play.
Speaking of which, while for Lee, his best quality is offence, he has proven to be steady defensively, known as a physical player with the ability to intimidate the opposition for the players who are covering him. Furthermore, Lee, who currently weighs in at 6’3, 231lbs, has averaged 126 hits through the last seven seasons, all spent in Upstate New York. Turning the focus back to his offence, Lee has not only become a power-forward, but an asset to the team as well.
During the time that Lee spent on the market, numerous teams spent time going after him, however, in recent days, it had started to become clear that Lee was not done with the Islanders just yet, this being in spite of his status which continued to loom low in question.
Not only on the ice, but amongst other men in the locker room as well, Lee is described as a loyal individual who was nothing but reluctant to avoid returning to New York. This deal is something that both his teammates as well as the fans can truly appreciate it as the captain sticks to his guns, becoming the third free agent to re-sign this offseason with the Islanders organization.
Speaking of which, as noted by The Associated Press, Lee joins fellow forwards Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle in re-signing with the Islanders this offseason, meanwhile, it provides the club with plenty of promise as Lee looks to guide his team back to the playoffs.
In a statement from Anders Lee upon having re-signed with the New York Islanders on Monday, he said, “This is the place I always wanted to be. We did some special things last year and we have a lot to look forward to into what we can build off of and grow as a team. Couldn’t be more thrilled.”
As noted by TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, Anders Lee’s salary breakdown for his seven-year contract will look as follows:
2019-20 $9 million
2020-21 $5.85 million
2021-22 $9 million
2022-23 $5.85 million
2023-24 $8.95 million
2024-25 $5.85 million
2025-26 $4.5 million
Also making noise with the New York Islanders on Monday evening is veteran goaltender Semyon Varlamov who agreed to terms on a four-year contract. Varlamov joins the Islanders as a backup goaltender to Thomas Greiss, a veteran backstop who’s full of experience after eight consecutive seasons with the Colorado Avalanche.
In taking a deeper look now at his 2018-2019 season, Varlamov registered a record of 20-19-9, meanwhile, he adds a 2.87 Goals Against Average and a .909 save percentage. Not only that, but Varlamov, who was selected by the Washington Capitals in 2006, is a former runner-up in voting for the NHL’s yearly annual Vezina Trophy. Varlamov, a Samara, Russia native was also named to the NHL Second All-Star Team.
As for the entirety of his NHL career as a whole in Denver, Varlamov, who was selected by the Washington Capitals 23rd overall, has compiled a record between the pipes of 183-156-38. If you add the Capitals to the mix, his overall record exceeds expectations, shooting up to 213-169-50 over the course of 448 career games played in the NHL.
Combined between the two organizations, Varlamov recorded a 2.68 Goals Against Average in addition to a .916 save percentage through eleven seasons played in the NHL. Varlamov started out with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League where he played in 33 games over the course of a three-year span. He would later go on to finish with an overall record of 24-8-2.
Speaking on the international end of things, Varlamov has represented Russia at three IIHF World Championships (2010, 2012, 2013) in addition to the World Junior Championship in 2007 where he had a record of 5-1. During this time, he also led his respective country to a silver medal victory while his hope is to aim higher up, playing for a Stanley Cup championship with the Islanders at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
In a statement from the veteran goaltender with regards to signing on with the Islanders, Varlamov explained about his decision a short time following the official club announcement, “I wanted to sign with the Islanders because I think this is the right place for me and my family. I’m very happy and excited.”