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New York Islanders Players Deserving of All-Star Metro Captain Honour

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 29: John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders handles the puck against the Pacific Division All-Stars during the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Tournament Final between the Pacific Division All-Stars and the Metropolitan Division All-Stars at Staples Center on January 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 29: John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders handles the puck against the Pacific Division All-Stars during the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Tournament Final between the Pacific Division All-Stars and the Metropolitan Division All-Stars at Staples Center on January 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 16: Josh Bailey #12 of the New York Islanders skates against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Barclays Center on November 16, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Islanders defeated the Hurricanes 6-4. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey has 31 points on the season in 27 games played. He still has three-quarters of the season to play and he’s already almost eclipsed his point totals for seven of his nine NHL seasons. There’s no question that Josh Bailey is the real deal. Finally.

There’s also no question that the first eight years of his NHL career he wasn’t anywhere near this calibre of player. We all thought he was going to be, but he fell well short of that expectation.

The New York Islanders have been searching for that top line winger to play alongside Tavares for years. Over the last few season, the Islanders got real aggressive in the pursuit of two big acquisitions. One in free agency and the other via trade. First, it was Andrew Ladd and that didn’t work. Then it was Jordan Eberle and that didn’t work either.

Who thought that the answer was Josh Bailey? The Islanders had already tried it in the past. In the 2014-15 season, Bailey spent most of the season on Tavares’ wing and put up 41 points.

Why He Deserves To Go

Perseverance. Bailey kept playing his game and it finally came to him. It wasn’t quick and it certainly took long enough. But it’s finally here. Making him the captain of the Metro Division at the All-Star game is the type of recognition Bailey deserves. Ultimately it means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it’s the perfect type of overture the Islanders fans can give to players who had to deal with our nonsense for years.

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