Josh Bailey's future with Islanders in doubt
Josh Bailey may be ready to consider playing for another team. He’s certainly unsure of his future with the Islanders.
“If I’m going to be sitting in the stands a lot, it’s not something I want to do,” the longest-tenured Islander said during the team’s breakup day on Monday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.
Bailey, who will turn 34 before the start of next season, was a healthy scratch for 10 of the final 12 regular-season games and for all six playoff games as he struggled through a trying season in which he had eight goals and 17 assists in 64 games. The Islanders’ season ended with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Hurricanes in Game 6 of their first-round series on Friday night at UBS Arena.
Bailey acknowledged there were ups and downs in his play this season but said, “I still think I can play at a high level, no question.”
Bailey, third on the Islanders’ all-time list with 1,057 games played, has one season remaining on a six-year, $30 million deal.
“I don’t know,” he said when asked about his future with the Islanders. “It’s a position that I certainly wouldn’t want to be in. This has been my home for a long time and it will continue to be home after hockey regardless of what happens. A little unknown right now.
“It’s a lot to take in. I’ve always thought of myself as an Islander and wanted to play my last game as an Islander. Who knows what it holds now. I’ve got another year left on my deal and I plan on playing it out.”
The Islanders could try to move Bailey to a team such as the Coyotes that needs to take on salary to reach the salary-cap floor. If no trade can be made, a buyout is possible.
The Islanders have approximately $76.6 million committed to 18 players for next season, when the salary-cap ceiling is expected to rise only by $1 million to $83.5 million. Buying out Bailey would save the Islanders $2.3 million against the cap next season but cost them $1.2 million in 2024-25, per capfriendly.com.
Bailey, selected ninth overall in 2008 before jumping directly from junior hockey to the NHL, played his 1,000th game in a 6-2 win in Carolina on Oct. 28. He had been on track to reach that milestone at home against the Rangers on Oct. 26 before first-year coach Lane Lambert made him a healthy scratch for a 5-3 loss in Tampa Bay on Oct. 22.
Bailey said his relationship with Lambert is “fine” and there is “mutual respect.”
“Looking back on it now, it was rather telling getting scratched five games into the year before my 1,000th game to where we ended up at the end of the season,” Bailey said. “I think it makes a lot more sense now. But it’s all part of the past.”
Bailey’s teammates knew exactly how hard this season was on him and how tough it would be to see him move on.
“Yeah, it’s really tough,” Anders Lee said. “Knowing Bails and playing with him for a long time and sharing a lot of special moments on and off the ice together, it is hard to see. He’s a true professional.
“He’s just an unbelievable teammate,” Kyle Palmieri said. “Whether things are going great in his career or he’s in a tough stretch, he shows up with a smile on his face and supports every one of us. No matter what happens, he’s meant a lot to this organization and meant even more to the guys inside the room.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
