Anders Lee signs with Utah Mammoth, Islanders make four signings on first day of NHL free agency
Islanders left wing Anders Lee skates against the Carolina Hurricanes at UBS Arena on April 14. Credit: Brad Penner
The Islanders are no longer Anders Lee’s team.
Their former captain agreed to a three-year deal worth $16.2 million with the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday afternoon, about six hours after the free agent market opened at noon. In the end, the Islanders could have matched the money. They didn’t want to match the years.
“We see the young guys coming,” said Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche, adding that he expects to have about $40 million in salary cap space next summer. “Eventually there’s going to be some turnover. We talked on a contract and the term was tougher for us. He felt like he wanted the term and he’s entitled to it. I’m actually happy for Anders that he got his term that he wanted and the money he wanted.”
Darche pivoted to sign forwards Matias Maccelli (one year, $2.25 million) and Mitchell Chaffee (one year, $850,000), goalie Vitek Vanecek (one year, $1 million) and defenseman Matt Kessel (one year, $850,000).
“We didn’t commit any long-term contracts,” Darche said, who has approximately $3.4 million in space remaining under the $104 million salary cap ceiling.
Lee, who turns 36 on Friday and had worn the “C” since 2018 after making his debut for the Islanders in 2013, was coming off a seven-year, $49 million deal. He informed the Islanders on Tuesday he would test the market.
“We were blown away, to be honest with you, that we would have the ability today to walk out of today with a player like that,” Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong said.
Added Utah President of Hockey Operations Chris Armstrong, “You can't have too much character and leadership, right? We didn't know that Anders Lee would become available.”
Lee wound up one of the top players available in a thin free agent market.
The power forward from Edina, Minnesota notched 19 goals and 23 assists in 82 games last season. It marked the third time in four seasons he dressed for every match and, in 2023-24, he played in 81 games.
He finishes his Islanders’ tenure with 308 goals and 241 assists in 923 games. He is fourth on the team’s all-time list in goals, fifth in games played and 10th with 549 points. He had a career-high 40 goals and 62 points in 2017-18.
Lee watched this past season as Darche re-signed 33-year-old center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (three years, $14.6 million) and traded for left wing Ondrej Palat, 35, who has one season remaining on a five-year, $30 million contract and center Brayden Schenn, who turns 35 on Aug. 22 and has two seasons left on an eight-year, $52 million deal.
“I know it wasn’t easy,” Darche said. “We signed Pageau and I sat with him that day and said here’s the reason why we went there, centerman and the value at the deadline. And you see this summer everybody is freaking out for centermen. He was always appreciative of the conversation.”
But the Islanders did get younger. Maccelli, 25, notched 14 goals and 25 assists in 71 games for the Maple Leafs and Darche coveted the skill he could bring to the lineup after failing to re-sign Max Shabanov. He’ll battle players such as Anthony Duclair or Pierre Engvall, if healthy, for playing time along with top prospects such as Victor Eklund or Cole Eiserman.
Chaffee, 28, a 6-1, 197-pound right wing, can bring grit to the bottom six or be valuable depth for the organization.
Kessel, 26, a 6-3, 212-pound right-hander, also bolsters the organization’s depth and Darche said his presence will not block 22-year-old Isaiah George’s opportunity to earn a roster spot.
Vanecek, 30, went 5-13-3 with a 2.93 goals-against average and an .883 save percentage for Utah last season and has also played for the Capitals, Devils, Sharks and Panthers, winning a cup with Florida in 2025.
Vanecek, given the same contract last season’s backup, David Rittich, had, is insurance in case Semyon Varlamov is not able to back up Ilya Sorokin. Varlamov, 38, has not played in the NHL since Nov. 29, 2024 and underwent two partial knee replacements – one on each knee – though he returned to play two AHL games late last season.
Darche said the hope is for Varlamov to be able to play 25-30 NHL games this season. If so, Vanecek will play for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton, Ontario.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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