Islanders & Leadership Decisions

An NHL franchise can have the best of the best on their roster, but if that roster doesn't have a strong leadership group, winning the ultimate prize becomes a significantly tougher task. Here's a story about the New York Islanders leadership group.

An NHL franchise can have the best of the best on their roster, but if that roster doesn't have a strong leadership group, winning the ultimate prize becomes a significantly tougher task.

Since John Tavares left the island in 2018, Anders Lee has held the captaincy for the New York Islanders, leading the group to back-to-back sem-final appearances in 2020 and 2021, with playoff appearances in four of the last five seasons.  

However, Lee never held an alternate captain position prior to 2018, but that's not to say he wasn't worthy. 

As for how Lee became the 15th captain in franchise history, here's a story from former Islanders head coach Barry Trotz. 

"When I first got here, I didn't know very many of the Islander players at all, other than coaching against them," Trotz said. "And I called every one of them when I got here to try to get a little bit of background on each player.

"And I usually finished with one of my last questions, if you had to have a captain --  because John Tavares was the captain of the Islanders for so many years -- who would your vote be?"

Trotz said it was almost unanimous.

"And it was almost unanimous that Anders would be the guy, so that tells you all you need to know as a coach or a fan or anybody in hockey that there's a lot of respect there for the way he plays, the way he handles himself, and the way he takes care of himself."

Through the Islanders' trials and tribulations over the last few seasons, Lee hasn't shied away from answering the tough questions and holding himself accountable. 

The soon-to-be sixth-year captain told me he's always evolving in his role.

"There's always something. There's a lot of situations in every season, whether it's going well or it's not, where you have an opportunity to take things by the reins and learn from how they went," Lee said. "I think it's an ever-evolving thing. It's something that I take a lot of pride in, and this group takes a lot of pride in. So it's just part of who we are and what we want to do, and the mentality that we have in here."

READ MORE: Kenny Albert, Long Island & The Islanders

Since Lee took over, there's been very little change among the Islanders' alternate leaders.

Cal Clutterbuck has been donning the "A" since the 2014-15 season, and Josh Bailey since 2016-17. 

This past season, both players weren't in the lineup as often as they would like. First-year head coach Lane Lambert awarded Brock Nelson the "A" in their absences. 

Following the COVID-riddled 2021-22 season, the Islanders didn't have a great 2022-23 campaign, sneaking into the postseason after a win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 82. 

Too often, slow starts were an issue, and although we knew the players were trying, their effort level was in question. 

That led fans to speculate whether or not the leadership group in place was doing a strong enough job on a game-to-game basis. 

But what's special about the leaders in the Islanders locker room is that it doesn't stop with the players wearing the letters.

"There's a lot of energy that gets put in from all of us. It's not just me," Lee said to me back in January. "We try to figure out what we can do to be better and what we can do to approach every night, so we all take on that responsibility, and I do as well. So it definitely is part of our game. It's part of adversity. It's part of what gives you the opportunity to grow. It makes you better in the long run."

Outside of Lee, the Islanders had four former captains on the roster this past season, including Mathew Barzal, who captained the Seattle Thunderbirds, and Hudson Fasching, who wore the "C" for the Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona's AHL affiliate).

There's a portion of the fan base who feels that certain players who owned leadership positions were unfit for their duties.

However, fans and the media will never get the clearest HD version of the room. And that's why leadership decisions are left to team management and not to a fan vote. 

It seemed that Bailey, whose play declined rapidly over the last few seasons, was the subject of leadership finger-pointing. 

"Knowing Bailey and playing with him for a long time and sharing a lot of special moments on and off the ice together, it is hard to see," Lee said come season's end. "I mean, he's a true professional. He brings everything he has to the table every day and handles all of these things and this adversity with class. And that speaks a lot to his character and what he brings to our room."

Ross Johnston, who sat with Bailey often in the second half of the season and for the entire first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, had this to say about the vet. 

"If you had a camera on him watching those playoff games, he had the attitude like he was in the games. He had the emotion, the anxiety with the crowd, whether it was in Carolina. He wanted to be on the ice," Johnston said. "So he cares, probably the most out of anyone in that room. So to see that energy, even when he's not in the lineup, just the passion that he shows night in and night out whether he's in the lineup or out of the lineup, is unparalleled."

The Bailey saga on Long Island is over -- for now.

The 33-year-old was sent to Chicago as a cap-dumping move ahead of Day Two of the NHL Draft before being bought out the same day upon acquisition.

He is currently an unrestricted free agent. 

For Clutterbuck, his injuries have disallowed him from staying in the lineup often enough. While a leader should be present on the ice -- and I don't think Clutterbuck would argue that -- he means a ton to this room, as it was a subject of discussion when the 35-year-old returned to the ice after a long stint on the shelf this past season. 

"It's awesome to have him with us here on the road and have him back on the ice," Lee said. "It's always great. He's a veteran guy who brings a ton of leadership and has a very big presence in the room. So it's really great to have him around."

"Obviously, he hasn't been around as much as he's liked to be," Horvat shared this past season. "I mean, just talking to him, obviously, a big character guy in the room. He respects me. I respect him as a player and as a person."

We shall see if Clutterbuck can stay healthy in 2023-24, and if so, he will don the "A." 

But as mentioned, if he isn't on the ice often, it seems that Brock Nelson will take on that role. 

No, not because he's been the Islanders' most consistent player over the last two seasons. It's because management and, ultimately, the players' view Nelson as a leader. 

Remember, the best players don't automatically make great leaders.

When looking towards the future, someone will have to take over as captain once Lee hangs up the skates. 

Barzal is entering year one of an eight-year deal and could very well be Lee's successor. 

While Barzal had some maturing to do, entering the league as a 19-year-old, we've certainly seen him evolve in the room and on the ice over his first eight seasons. 

Bo Horvat, who captained the Vancouver Canucks from 2019 until his departure in January, also begins an eight-year deal with the Islanders in the fall and could be in line for the "C," too, or at the very least an "A."

Although Noah Dobson may be a rather quiet, soft-spoken individual with the media, he gives off a leadership vibe, for sure. 

But again, these are not decisions you or I have a say in, nor should we. 

Join Stefen Rosner's New York Islanders page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can listen to Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season.