Islanders Re-Sign Anders Lee, Replace Lehner With Semyon Varlamov
NEW YORK (AP/CBSNewYork) -- Anders Lee isn't going anywhere.
A year after the New York Islanders lost captain John Tavares to Toronto in free agency, his successor chose to stay.
A person with knowledge of the move says the team agreed to terms with Lee on a $49 million, seven-year deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the contract.
Lee joins fellow forwards Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle in re-signing with the Islanders this offseason.
Meanwhile, the Islanders let Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner walk and will replace him with veteran goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
According to numerous reports, the Islanders agreed to terms with Varlamov on a four-year, $20 million contract. He spent the past eight seasons with the Colorado Avalanche.
Varlamov becomes part of a tandem with Thomas Greiss for the Islanders, who let Lehner depart after a stirring run to the playoffs.
The 27-year-old Lehner agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract with Chicago, giving the Blackhawks one of the best goaltender tandems in the league. He posted a career-high 25 wins last season with the Islanders. He also had a 2.13 goals-against average, .930 save percentage and six shutouts.
Lehner also won the Masterton Trophy this year as the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. He became a Vezina finalist after revealing during training camp that he has struggled with addiction and bipolar disorder.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
