Islanders: 3 Destinations Josh Bailey Could Land if Traded

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The current longest-tenured New York Islander, Josh Bailey, is one of a handful of forwards who could possibly be on the move this summer. Isles GM Lou Lamoriello is looking to make "hockey deals" to improve his roster this summer, specifically to add more goals and speed. Bailey - selected ninth overall in the 2008 NHL draft - checks plenty of boxes, but not so much the two that Lamoriello is looking for. With two years left on his contract and no trade protection, he's a prime candidate to be included in a deal this summer.

Whether you believe it or not, Bailey still has plenty of value and could retrieve the Isles some assets. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic states:

For whatever reason, there seems to be a portion of the fan base here that thinks the Islanders would have to pay another team to take Bailey off of their hands, but that’s a silly suggestion. This isn’t another Andrew Ladd situation. Bailey can still produce, even if he does it quietly, and while the return might not be huge, I could see him as part of a larger deal (especially if the Islanders are willing to retain a portion of his salary). But even if the Islanders just had to dump him to create salary-cap space, they’d probably get at least a decent draft pick in return.
Kevin Kurz

So what teams could be interested in the veteran winger?

Ottawa Senators

Eyes on Isles' Michel Anderson wrote a little while back that the Ottawa Senators are looking for veterans to add to their young, skilled lineup. Bailey is exactly what they're looking for in a veteran with plenty of NHL experience and post-season success. The Senators' lineup is filled with young NHL talent, but with the exception of a few players, most haven't seen what success looks like at the NHL level and in the postseason.

What makes Bailey appealing to Ottawa is his 993 career NHL games and 50 points in 71 playoff games under his belt. Speaking of the playoffs, the Senators have missed the postseason now for five straight seasons, and Senators GM Pierre Dorian has been vocal about wanting to add a top-six winger in order to help push them back into the playoff picture.

We talked about our own team, and where we see it, and where see our own team compared to those are contending for a Cup? Where will players be able to contribute and what will their roles be to help us to get to being a successful team. We looked at our holes and we ranked every pro player whether it’s in the NHL or AHL.
Pierre Dorian

Ottawa doesn't even meet the salary cap floor as of right now per CapFriendly, so they'll have plenty of money to work with this offseason. Bailey's $5 million cap hit would work out just fine for Dorian, making Ottawa a perfect fit for the veteran winger.

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has an Yzer-plan to get the Wings back into contention much like how he helped transform the Tampa Bay Lightning into the juggernaut they are today. According to DetroitHockeyNow, Yzerman was not very pleased with the "level of competitiveness" of his team down the stretch, especially given they lingered in the playoff picture for a little while during the 2021-22 season.

Couple Yzerman's displeasure with the fact that the Boston Bruins have taken a few massive hits this offseason already with a plethora of injuries such as Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand, and Matt Grzlyck that could hold them all out for significant time, and the idea that its possible captain Patrice Bergeron might not return, the 2022-23 season could be the first time in a long time the Bruins don't make the postseason. That leaves the door wide open for one of the outside teams looking in, like Detroit, to step up and put themselves in the playoff picture.

The Red Wings will need to add a few pieces to their roster this summer in order to improve their chances, but with $35,771,111 in projected cap space this summer, they have plenty of money to do so. Bailey could certainly be an option for Yzerman as a solid middle-six option, and although Barry Trotz's future is still undecided, there's an outside possibility he could buy into Yzerman's plan if he decides he wants to be behind the bench in the 2022-23 season. A familiar face in Bailey could help sway him there, too.

Buffalo Sabres

Similar to the Senators, the Buffalo Sabres are another destination that makes sense for a young team that should be looking to add veterans. Outside of Jeff Skinner and former Islander Kyle Okposo, there aren't many veterans under contract in Buffalo for 2022-23.

2022 seemed to turn over a new leaf for the Sabres with a 22-22-6 record dating back to January 1st. Obviously, that's not great, but given Buffalo's recent history, that's a decent amount of success. After the departure of Jack Eichel, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs fit in well with the Sabres giving Buffalo Fans a glimmer of hope that things were looking up despite trading away their franchise player.

Yet another team that needs to meet the cap floor, the Sabres currently have $35,554,166 in cap space, so again, no problem there with fitting in Bailey's contract as they also need to fill the roster. With just two seasons remaining on his contract, Bailey would be an excellent short-term mentor to the youth in Buffalo featuring Jack Quinn, Dylan Cozens, Anders Bjork, Krebs and others, all while continuing to be a competitive team. Much like the Red Wings, the Sabres will look to improve next season, and if the Bruins really do take a step back, it'll be fun to watch the Red Wings and Sabres battle for their spot in the postseason if both teams happen to take that next step forward.

With no-trade protection, Bailey doesn't have much of a say in his future if Lamoriello decides he wants to move him. All three of Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo make sense for the veteran winger, and if the Islanders plan to land an impact player or two, Bailey's contract will be too rich to maintain. The New Jersey Devils, Seattle Kraken, and Arizona Coyotes all make sense for Bailey too as honorable mentions. The 2021-22 season has yet to come to a conclusion, but trades have already transpired. With about a week left in the season, we could see Lamoriello strike sooner rather than later.

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