One of the Columbus Blue Jackets' goals this off-season should be to add to their forward group. It is clear that they could use more scoring, and this will only be more of the case if they lose pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) Mason Marchment and Boone Jenner this summer. When looking at this year's pending UFAs, one player who would have the potential to be a solid addition to the Blue Jackets' roster is New York Islanders captain Anders Lee. While there is undoubtedly a very good shot that Lee re-signs with the Islanders, he is a player who would make sense for the Blue Jackets to target if he ends up hitting the market. At this point in his career, Lee is still an impactful forward who is capable of providing solid secondary offensive production. In 82 games during this season with the Islanders, the 6-foot-3 winger recorded 19 goals, 23 assists, 42 points, and 91 hits. This is after he had 29 goals, 54 points, and 121 hits during the 2024-25 season with the Islanders. With numbers like these, Lee would have the potential to be a strong addition to the Blue Jackets' top nine if signed. Furthermore, due to his offensive skill, he would give the Blue Jackets another clear option to work with on their power play if successfully signed. However, if the Blue Jackets pursued Lee, a short-term deal would likely be best for them. Lee is turning 36 years old in July, so he is not the kind of free-agent target that the Blue Jackets should be looking to sign for more than three years. While Lee is an older player in the NHL, he is still a very good one and would be a strong addition to a Blue Jackets club that is looking to take that next step. This is especially so when noting that he is a great leader, as evidenced by him being the Islanders' captain over the last eight seasons. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if Lee ends up hitting free agency this summer. While it appears more likely that he will end up staying put with the Islanders, the Blue Jackets strongly consider making a push for him if he ends up hitting the market once July is here. In 923 career NHL games over 14 seasons, Lee has recorded 308 goals, 241 assists, 549 points, and a plus-21 rating.
