Trade Brewing? Maple Leafs and Islanders Emerging as Perfect Partners
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders could make a blockbuster deal in order to shake things up, and bring their captain Anders Lee aboard.
There's a lot of talk regarding not only who, but if the Maple Leafs are going to add a top-six forward to their lineup this summer.
Linked to several prominent names, the deals are certainly out there but it's going to be hard for Brad Treliving to get things done, thanks to a lack of premium assets.
Toronto linked to Islanders captain
But according to a new article from Bleacher Report: There's another name who might be in the mix.
The article, focused on the 2026 Trade Deadline predictions, had the Maple Leafs making a deal for Islanders captain Anders Lee.
They state:
Since trading Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights on June 30, the Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly been in the market for a top-six winger.
They acquired right wing Matias Maccelli but remain thin on reliable offense at left wing beyond Matthew Knies.
Meanwhile, New York Islanders captain Anders Lee is in the final season of his eight-year contract with a cap hit of $7 million.
If the Isles are out of playoff contention by the March trade deadline, they could peddle the 35-year-old left wing.
They acquired right wing Matias Maccelli but remain thin on reliable offense at left wing beyond Matthew Knies.
Meanwhile, New York Islanders captain Anders Lee is in the final season of his eight-year contract with a cap hit of $7 million.
If the Isles are out of playoff contention by the March trade deadline, they could peddle the 35-year-old left wing.
Toronto could definitely use Lee, and the fact his contract is up at the end of the summer means they can benefit from his production without committing long-term to someone like Nazem Kadri.
New York Islanders at a critical turning point
New York isn't guaranteed to make it to the postseason, but with the Metro being pretty much a three-team division, their best chance is a wild card spot.
But they have to contend with the Rangers, Blue Jackets, and even the Penguins may get something out of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin still.
That's a lot to ask for a team who already lost two key pieces in the span of a few months.
Brock Nelson was traded at the deadline to the Colorado Avalanche, subsequently re-signing with the club this summer.
They also traded Noah Dobson earlier this summer as well, as the team clearly heads in a different direction.
Anders Lee and his fit with the Maple Leafs
But if Lee doesn't fit, and the team waves the white flag when it comes to the 2025-26 season, Toronto needs to act.
While they don't have a great amount of assets, they do have cap space with room to give, and might be willing to throw their last remaining "premium" pick (a 2027 second-rounder) into the mix to get a deal done.
If the team wanted to part ways with that pick and someone like Bobby McMann, they could give the Islanders a proven scorer who is cheap and still going to put up solid numbers for a few years.
Lee, 35, is heading towards the end of his career but is still able to put up great stats.
In 82 games he had 54 points (29 goals, 25 assists) but has a 40-goal season under his belt, and has 507 points in 841 games (289 goals, 218 assists) in his 13 seasons.
Not getting much playoff experience is one knock on him, with only 21 points in 46 games (10 goals, 11 assists) but with a motivated team behind him he might be able to pick things up.
Remarkably, Lee was a 6th round pick who came up to be a stud in the Islanders system and working his way up to captain.
Plus, he fits right in at 6'3, 231 pounds and isn't afraid to crash the net, and if he ended up playing with either Auston Matthews or John Tavares; he may end up giving them a top-six star to work with.
It's not going to happen now, and there's a lot between July and March that can happen.
But if Anders Lee is available and New York is willing to deal:
Toronto will buy what they're selling.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 20 | 1994 ANSWERS Trade Brewing? Maple Leafs and Islanders Emerging as Perfect Partners Should the Maple Leafs try and acquire Anders Lee at the deadline? | ||
| Yes | 849 | 42.6 % |
| No | 1145 | 57.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
