Baggie Day Buzz: Islanders open to re-signing Lee

For 16 NHL teams, there will be no Stanley Cup Playoffs. Instead, there will be players packing up their gear, reflecting on the season and looking toward the future, as well as front office members analyzing what went wrong.

Baggie Day Buzz is your one-stop shop for the latest news and analysis from the teams that did not advance to the playoffs.

Here is the most recent news:

New York Islanders

The Islanders are open to re-signing Anders Lee, general manager Mathieu Darche said Wednesday. The forward and team captain can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

"I'd love to see him play 1,000 games with the Islanders,” Darche said. “What that looks like, whether we were able to find something that's suitable for us and for him, we'll discuss. But I know he's not far from (1,000 games); I'd love to see that, but I'm always looking forward to what other options we have. What do we need to do to move this roster forward? But the way Anders played this year, I think he can still help us.”

A sixth-round pick (No. 152) at the 2009 NHL Draft, Lee has played each of his 923 NHL games with New York. He has 549 points (308 goals, 241 assists), including 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) in 82 games this season. He has been Islanders captain for the past eight seasons.

“Yeah, of course,” Lee said about wanting to remain with the team. “I've given everything I have to this organization, it's where I've played my entire career. It's where I've put my best foot forward as much as I can, and don't take anything for granted.”

Kyle Palmieri said he expects to be ready for training camp after having season-ending surgery in November. The forward tore the ACL in his left knee on Nov. 28. He had 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 25 games.

“Things are progressing well,” Palmieri said. “All signs point to having a healthy summer and getting myself ready for next season.”

The Islanders announced Calum Ritchie will join Bridgeport of the American Hockey League for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The 21-year-old forward had 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 65 games in his rookie season. 

New York (43-34-5) finished six points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

New Jersey Devils

Jacob Markstrom, who missed the last three games of the regular season for rest and to rehabilitate nagging injuries, said he will be ready for training camp.

"I got MRI pictures done and there's some fluid, but there's nothing major that needs to be done," the Devils goalie said Wednesday. "I don't need any procedure or anything. I'll rest for a little bit and I'm going to start working out here in a couple of weeks. I'm not going to rush anything. My priority is here with the Devils, and I don't want to go (to training camp) not feeling 100 percent or rush something that's going to affect the offseason."

The 36-year-old signed a two-year, $12 million contract ($6 million average annual value) with New Jersey on Nov. 1 , 2025, that begins next season. He finished 23-19-1 with a 3.07 goals-against average and .883 save percentage in 44 games (43 starts) in 2025-26.

The Devils (42-37-3) finished 10 points back of the Senators for the second wild card in the East.