Ex-Islander Josh Bailey signs tryout deal with Senators
Former Islanders right wing Josh Bailey. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Josh Bailey, formerly the longest-tenured Islander, will now try to become the newest Senator.
Ottawa announced on Thursday Bailey has agreed to a professional tryout offer and will attend the team’s training camp, which opens next week.
Bailey, who turns 34 on Oct. 2, played 1,057 games for the Islanders after being selected ninth overall in 2008, the third most in franchise history. But he was a healthy scratch for 10 of the final 12 regular season games and for all six playoff games in the Islanders’ first-round loss to the Hurricanes.
The Islanders traded Bailey — who said after the season he was not interested in returning in a limited role — to Chicago on June 29. Chicago promptly bought out the final season of his six-year, $30 million deal, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Bailey posted a heartfelt goodbye to Islanders’ fans on The Players’ Tribune on Wednesday.
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.
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