The Detroit Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. Heading into the offseason, the pressure is on the team to make the postseason sooner rather than later. Especially with their centennial season just around the corner.
There are a number of areas the Red Wings could address this summer. However, one topic on the mind of Detroit fans is the top-six. Max Bultman of The Athletic was asked about potential top-six options in a recent mailbag. New York Rangers star Chris Kreider was named as one option. But he was not the only New York player mentioned.
Veteran forward Anders Lee is a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season. The 34-year-old can still play, having scored 29 goals and 54 points this past campaign. With him being a rental, Bultman believes the Red Wings could swing a deal with the New York Islanders.
“The other name that comes to mind, also in the New York area, is Anders Lee. The Islanders are hard to predict because they don’t have a GM right now, but in theory, Lee (who has one year left on his contract and is soon to be 35) would add the exact kind of hard offense the Red Wings need,” Bultman wrote in his recent mailbag.
Anders Lee Could Impact Red Wings Beyond Offense
Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesAnders Lee could help the Detroit Red Wings in multiple facets of the game.
The Red Wings are not only seeking offense. This is a team with a fair few veterans on the roster. However, their leadership group is clearly lacking. General manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Todd McLellan both admitted this at their end-of-season press conference.
Lee can certainly fill this role. He has spent the last seven seasons as the captain of the Islanders. The Eden, Minnesota native helped New York make two runs to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021, though he missed the 2021 postseason.
Adding another leader to this locker room is crucial. Especially for the younger stars such as Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper. Lee has experience going far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And this experience can help Detroit in ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet.
Islanders Future in Question As New York Seeks GM
The Red Wings could certainly work out a trade for Lee at some point this summer. However, it will be some time before we know how New York is going to operate. The Islanders are seeking a new general manager heading into the 2025 NHL Draft.
New York did not renew Lou Lamiorello’s contract after this season. Lamiorello was the architect of the teams that went to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, the 82-year-old was unable to get this team to the next level as the head of the front office.
It remains unknown who the Islanders will tag as their next decision-maker. What is clear is that the next general manager has some work to do. Trading the team captain would be a bold move. However, the Red Wings could make it worthwhile if New York were willing to go to the negotiating table.
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