Senators looking for veteran players like Islanders Josh Bailey

Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion spoke to the media at the end of the season and made an interesting statement. The Sens GM indicated that he'll be looking for talented vets to add to his squad for next year. The New York Islanders might have exactly what the Senators are looking for.

At 32 years of age, and 14 years of NHL experience under his belt, Josh Bailey is the type of talented veteran player that the Senators could be looking for.

New York Islanders: Ottawa Senators good spot for Josh Bailey

In 74 games this season, Bailey scored 14 goals and 44 points. A pace of 49 points over a full season. That's decent second-line production, specifically for a team like the Ottawa Senators. Bailey is still a good enough top-six player that can play in all three situations.

He's a good player to have in the lineup, specifically for a team needing vets who can give the team a boost rather than play out their final days in the league. Not to mention teach these kids what it's like to be a pro.

Not to mention teach these kids what not to do. Bailey was tossed into the spotlight of the NHL much too early. He went from the draft straight to the NHL. I'm sure now as a 32-year-old, there are things he wishes he (and the organization) would have done differently.

While the New York Islanders don't need to move Josh Bailey, they could certainly use that $5 million cap to help them get those much-needed upgrades to the top line and on the blueline.

The Isles have $12.5 million in cap space for the 22-23 season. Signing Dobson and Bellows will likely cut that down by $4 million. Moving Bailey gives them $13.5 million in space to acquire that top-4 D and top-line winger. Plenty of space.

What about the Sens? Do they want a $5 million player on the cap? Why not? Veteran players aren't cheap. But it's not like the Sens are strapped for cap space. According to CapFriendly, they've got $23.3 million in space next year.

And it's not like the Sens would actually be paying $5 million for Bailey. The cap hit might be $5 million, but the actual pay out is $3.5 million for this year and next.

Again, this shouldn't be taken as "the Isles need to move Bailey to Ottawa" but rather if the Isles need more cap space Ottawa seems like a willing trade partner for someone like Bailey.