Mutual desire for a reunion exists between the captain and the club, but Mathieu DArche must first navigate trade hurdles and clear salary to finalize a deal.
Per NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, the New York Islanders are interesting in bringing back pending unrestricted free agent forward Anders Lee.
The feeling is mutual, as Lee would like to stay.
However, there's a hurdle, or a few, in the way before a deal can come to fruition:
LeBrun ends the Lee portion of his piece with the following:
"Lee wants to extend, but team has to find common ground on salary and term."
Here's the piece:
The Islanders, who have around $10.68 million in available cap space depending on who is included on the 20-man roster, are expected to be proactive in shedding cap space this summer.
How many players come off the books is yet to be determined.
Per sources, the Islanders tried moving forward Anthony Duclair and the final two seasons of a four-year deal worth $3.5 million earlier this past season but the 30-year-old forward wasn't willing to waive his no-trade clause.
On July 1, that full no-trade clause turns into a 16-team modified no-trade clause and one would expect Duclair would be willing to move if that meant more playing time.
Duclair is not someone you pay to sit in the press box.
Another player who could be on the move is forward Pierre Engvall, who missed the entire 2025-26 season due to offseason hip surgery, followed by an ankle surgery.
Per sources, Engvall is expected to be fully ready for training camp.
Engvall, who has four seasons left at $3 million annually, has zero trade protection.
During the 2024-25 season, Engvall found himself in the minors on a few occasions, with the Islanders saving $1.15 million by going that route.
Another name to watch is forward Ondrej Palat, who has one season left at $6 million annually.
Per the new CBA, the Islanders can bury $1.225 million in the minors next season if they choose to go that route with Engvall yet again.
While we don't know what Lee will be looking for from the Islanders, one would expect it to be a short-term deal and, for sure, team-friendly.