1. Lee said long ago that contract length was the only sticking point. The rumor all along was that Lee wanted 8 years and Lou wanted to go mid-term, not long term. But Lee said just last week that he wasn't talking with other teams. So did Lehner. I think both really wanted to be back. Lee certainly looks ecstatic to be back. Lehner looks pretty bummed to not be.
2. The 2 year offer to Lehner, who made it clear he wanted a long term deal, seems like it was a token effort. And according to Lehner, Lou gave it to him in the form as an ultimatum. Lehner took a few hours to think and when he came back to accept it, was told the Isles had moved on to signing another goalie- Varlamov. Hardball is one thing, but yeah, that sounds pretty much like Lou wanted to make just enough effort to make it seem like he wanted Lehner back, but it's pretty clear he wanted Varlamov.
3. That's all been pretty clear, and if it works out well, Lou will look very smart. I have no doubt Korn and Greco can help Varlamov perform better. My concern is him staying healthy. And, most Isles fans are furious with Lou for treating Lehner like shit after the emotional year he helped bring about. When even Ranger fans are cheering for an Islander, that's something special. We all know players are simply "assets" to teams, but Lehner deserved better treatment than what he apparently got. Lou wanted to change the Islanders culture - have all players who wanted to be Islanders, not just NHLers. Lehner loved being an Islander, loved the fans and the fans loved him. So this just seems so wrong now. Maybe in 2 years it will prove to be a brilliant move, but now it just seems colder than necessary.
Not that I want to get political (you started it!), but yes, Greiss is very right wing. He "liked" a meme that compared Hillary Clinton to Hitler on one of the social media platforms. He apologized for it later, but it showed his views. Lots of fans were pissed at him over it, but almost everyone has either forgiven or forgotten it. Having his name on the Jennings Trophy probably has a LOT to do with that.
I expect Greiss to play 30-41 regular season games next year if Varlamov stays healthy. Way more if Varlamov is on the shelf, as the Isles don't have any "great" goalie prospects in north America. Maybe they trade for Lehner if Varlamov has a season ending injury!
Isles are still looking for another center. Fans keep mentioning Brian Boyle. Everyone supposedly loves Boyle on their team, but he can't seem to stick anywhere for too long. He's been on 6 different teams.