According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, contract talks between New York Islanders captain Anders Lee and general manager Mathieu Darche are far apart. If that doesn't change, the 35-year-old forward is trending toward free agency on July 1, and the Toronto Maple Leafs should at least be paying attention to what he could add to a reshaped roster.
The Maple Leafs are at a point where the forward group probably needs to look a bit different. John Chayka has to balance skill with more reliable, heavier depth options, especially in the middle six. Which is why Lee makes sense for them.
Lee's fit makes a ton of sense for the Maple Leafs
He isn't flashy, and he doesn't need to be. At 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds, Lee has built his career around the parts of the game that tend to matter more in the playoffs than in October. He goes to the net, wins battles along the walls, and makes life uncomfortable for goalies. It's a role Toronto hasn't consistently filled.
Even last season, there was still production there. Lee scored 19 goals and finished with 42 points while playing all 82 games. For a player in that type of role, that's steady enough to keep him in demand.
There's also the leadership side, which tends to matter in Toronto whether people want to admit it or not. Lee has been the captain for the New York Islanders since 2018 and has been through plenty of playoff pressure during that stretch. He would bring a fairly calm, established voice into a locker room that is going to look different with a new front office and head coach.
The contract situation would help the Maple Leafs a ton too. Lee is coming off a deal that carried a $7 million cap hit. However, at this stage, he's likely looking at something shorter and cheaper.Â
The Maple Leafs tried to take swings last season under former GM Brad Treliving. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Now Chayka and Mats Sundin will need to try and take some offseason swings to fix the roster as they enter their new era of Maple Leafs hockey.
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