The New York Islanders were dealt a major blow today, as general manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed that Anders Lee will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Lee was injured in a game against the New Jersey Devils last week and will undergo surgery on his knee to repair a torn ACL. We knew things didn’t look good but the confirmation that he’ll miss the rest of the season is a tough blow for the Islanders.
#Isles Update from President and GM Lou Lamoriello: Anders Lee will undergo surgery this week and will be out for the rest of the season. pic.twitter.com/t8xP4Bva7c
Lee had 12 goals in 27 games this year, which was tied for the team lead. Replacing him on the top line won’t be an easy task for the Islanders and Kieffer Bellows isn’t exactly a great solution.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted that he believes Lamoriello will be looking at rental forwards at the deadline.
So I would think you will see Lamoriello dive in on rental wingers like Kyle Palmieri (if he doesn't re-sign), Taylor Hall, Mikael Grandlud, etc... In other words, Lamoriello and former colleague Kyle Dubas might be dialling up similar phone numbers over the next 3-plus weeks... https://t.co/hgmQoQeg8l
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of moves the Islanders make now. I wrote an article a few months ago, saying that I thought the Islanders should hold off on giving up any more future assets in trades. However, considering how well the team has been doing this season and how much Lee’s injury will hurt the team, I think it’s potentially a necessary move. I’d ideally like to see New York add a player with a bit of term rather than a rental like LeBrun suggested but it could be difficult to do, given the lack of cap space heading into next season.
Lamoriello said that Lee is expected to be ready for next season.
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What should the Islanders be willing to give up for a rental forward?
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