Islanders Re-Sign Josh Bailey

New York Islanders Sign Josh Bailey, Beat The Clock

Islanders Official Press Release 

Josh Bailey’s signing truly came down to the wire. When spoken to last week, the center was both adamant and confident that both sides would come to an agreement, and well, they did it with little time to spare. “I’m excited, very excited,” Bailey said. “I was happy to get up and come in today. I fully planned on doing that to begin with. I was confident all along that things would get worked out and obviously it came down closer then I think both sides would have liked, but I think we’re both happy and I’m very excited to get to start the season.” If Bailey hadn’t signed a new deal by the start of Training Camp at 7 a.m. Friday he would have had to forgo the 2011-12 season, a rule set by Islanders Owner Charles Wang and put into use in 2006 with former Islanders forward Sean Bergenheim. “I had known (about Wang’s rule) even before going into contract season,” Bailey said. “I know it happened to Bergenheim a couple years back, so I was well aware.” On Thursday, with the deadline approaching fast and hearing of John Tavares’ extension, Bailey was a bundle of nerves as any player would be if they were on the brink of missing an entire season. “It was a stressful day there’ no question about that,” Bailey said. “My agent had phoned in and met with Garth and I had some other commitments, had to get some teeth fixed and then I had to go do a video shoot at the rink.” He continued, “During all that stuff I still had one thing in the back of my mind. We had some good talks. I personally had talked to Garth on the phone a couple times. We came to a resolution and we’re obviously very happy.” Islanders General Manager Garth Snow is also glad they were able to finalize a deal. “Since Day one, Josh has been a piece of the core we’re establishing here with the Islanders,” Snow said. “We’re happy to have this deal done and start the season with Josh in the lineup.” Long Island is where Bailey got his professional start and the Islanders are the team that believed in him from day one, selecting him ninth overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Thus, the soon to be fourth-year-pro is happy that he’ll be able to stay a part of the young core that will hopefully return to the playoffs this season. “This is the best feel we’ve had going in to a season,” Bailey said. “We really believe in what we have in that locker room. After camp, we’ll set our goals for the season and try to get off to a good start.” Like the rest of the team, one of those goals is already prominent. “Playoffs are in everyone’s mind,” Bailey said. “It’s no secret, anything shy of that would be a disappointment, no question.”

PattyB Thoughts:
Another good signing of a young "core" player by the Islanders General Manager, Garth Snow. Snow has done a great job at retaining his talent, and this is no exception. Josh Bailey's future in the NHL is a wild-card, but there is no denying that he has talent. His rushed development hurt him, and it shows, but I am still not ready to give up on him. At almost twenty-two years of age and with 211 NHL games under his belt, the time for him to begin performing is now and I honestly believe he will be able to live up to the expectations. His creativity with the puck is something most players don't have and if he is able to find the right line-mate to "click" with, he may very well break-out. This season I expect Bailey to center the Islanders 3rd line and hopefully put up a decent amount of points. I believe he will end up with 40 or so, which is a respectable year for him. Either way, this deal is a no-lose situation for the Isles because of the term and salary. At only two years its not long enough to be a burden if Bailey doesn't fulfill expectations and the money is cheap enough at only $1.05M per year that its not a risk. I like this deal a lot, and it could potentially carry a big reward.

CONTRACT TERMS:

LENGTH: 2 YEAR(S)     VALUE: $2,100,000     TYPE: STANDARD     EXPIRY STATUS: RFA
SEASON	AHL SALARY	NHL SALARY	P. BONUSES	S. BONUS	CAP HIT
2011-12	$1,050,000	$1,050,000	$0	—	$1,050,000
2012-13	$1,050,000	$1,050,000	$0	—	$1,050,000

STATISTICS:

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	TP	PIM		Postseason	GP	G	A	TP	PIM
2004-2005	Clarington Toros Midget AAA	Midget	69	53	59	112	38	|
	Bowmanville Eagles	OPJHL	2	0	1	1	0	|
2005-2006	Owen Sound Attack	OHL	55	7	19	26	8	|	Playoffs	11	0	0	0	0
2006-2007	Owen Sound Attack	OHL	27	11	15	26	8	|
	Windsor Spitfires	OHL	42	11	24	35	16	|
2007-2008	Windsor Spitfires	OHL	67	29	67	96	32	|	Playoffs	5	1	5	6	2
2008-2009	New York Islanders	NHL	68	7	18	25	16	|
2009-2010	New York Islanders	NHL	73	16	19	35	18	|
2010-2011	New York Islanders	NHL	70	11	17	28	37	|
	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL	11	6	11	17	4	|
2011-2012	New York Islanders	NHL	-	-	-	-	-	|