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.

It's a good question. That might be true, but the center position is more valuable than a winger. Lee is a good winger, but he's only eclipsed 60 points once. I don't think I'd offer much more than this considering all the Saad push back people talk about. He and Saad are very similar players. Lee with a slight edge, but not much at all. If he's looking for Hayes money...let him find it elsewhere?

The fan base would be fine, most of us realize this scenario is different than Tavares last year. Lee leaving would be the Isles letting him go (not wanting to give home 7-8 years), not him dragging us along only to leave for “greener pastures” at the last minute. Besides, the fan base realizes the team is greater than any one person, as we proved last year after we were supposed to crumble after JT left.

On another note, Lee is not worth 7yrs and 8m per... I love Lee and don’t want him to leave, but that deal is gonna be a regrettable one half way through.

I think you're spot on with the sticking point here. Lee wants term to his deal. I'm ok with it as a Hawks fan. CHI's dealt with this before. Yes...it's just kicking the can down the road, but sometimes it works. Stan (or someone else) can solve that problem in 5 years.

It has Andrew Ladd, Corey Perry written all over it those last three years....

Exactly! Which is why, even as an Islanders fan, I’m fine with Lee walking if he holds to his demand of 7 or 8 years. We have guys taking less money and years to play for this team, if our captain can’t do the same, then good luck elsewhere

What if you just leave him expose to Seattle in 2 years??? For the Hawks...who do you think Seattle would prefer. Lee or 1 year or Maatta? It would be Lee.

You can’t sign someone to a 7 year deal hoping he gets picked in an expansion draft. That’s bad management.

I'm not suggesting that's the only purpose of signing him. You also can't just let every UFA walk either. That's also bad management. Risks need to be taken and my point is there are plenty of options in years down the road.

They signed Brock and Eberle on reasonable deals. They can afford to let Lee walk given their cap space and large prospect pool. That’s good management.

You’d have to guarantee Lee wouldn’t have a NTC or NMC, which is something he might demand for this very situation.

Maybe, but you can't have the world. If he leaves NYI...then it's probably money. He can probably get a NMC from NYI.

Yes, he could, but he’s not gonna get a 7 or 8 year deal from us. We’d be hamstrung in the final 3 to 4 years of that deal just like we are now with Ladd.