Isles GM Lou Lamoriello: Josh Bailey’s time with team could be ‘near the end’
After 15 seasons with the Islanders, Josh Bailey’s future appears to be a bit uncertain. The winger has been with the organization through the highs and the lows, but they seem ready to move on.
While speaking with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Isles President of Hockey Operations and GM Lou Lamoriello said it’s “near the end” for the 33-year-old in New York.
“Loyalty will never get in the way of impending progress or making whatever decisions I have a responsibility to make, never,” he said. “In our situation, Josh and I have a man-to-man relationship as far as honesty and I will work with him, but my priority is doing what’s best for the team.”
When it's all said and done, Bailey will go down as one of the top players in franchise history. The Isles selected him with the ninth overall pick of the 2008 NHL Draft and Bailey has been one of the leaders of this team through it all.
He's just one of three players to appear in 1,000 games in the orange and blue, and ranks third in team history in assists and seventh in points.
New head coach Lane Lambert made it clear early on this season that Bailey would just be a part-time player, and the alternate captain appeared in just 64 games.
Bailey recorded his lowest point total since his rookie season (25 points) and failed to reach the double-digit mark in goals. He was a healthy scratch often down the stretch and saw himself benched for the entirety of the postseason.
Bailey's now heading into the the final year of the six-year, $30 million extension he signed back in 2018, and while he'd love to stay, the veteran acknowledged his future is a bit of an unknown.
“It’s a position, certainly, I wouldn’t want to be in. This has been home for a long time, it will continue to be home after hockey, regardless of what happens. But yeah, obviously a little unknown right now,” Bailey said.
We’ll see what Lamoriello and the Isles decide this offseason, but it certainly seems like Bailey’s time on the Island is coming to an end.
