When the 2015-16 NHL season ended, two of the Islanders’ top three scorers signed elsewhere as free agents.
Josh Bailey saw his chance.
The winger had been in the league for eight years at that point, producing 0.45 points per game, but he knew this was the time to make his move.
Ninety-six games and 74 points later, Bailey has upped his game, developing into a consistent impact player, and the Islanders are reaping the rewards.
“I think it’s increased opportunity and responsibility within the team, something I was craving for sure,” Bailey said Tuesday morning before the Islanders hosted the Oilers. “I really just wanted to come in and earn that ice time and make the most of it. The opportunity I’ve been getting is huge. It just gives you that added confidence.”
Bailey entered play Tuesday riding a nine-game point streak, during which he has racked up two goals and 14 assists, including three straight multi-assist games.
Now playing on the top line alongside John Tavares and Anders Lee — a trio who played together for a bulk of last year, too — Bailey has been a reliable skater for coach Doug Weight to depend on.
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“For a guy that’s been a half-a-point player his whole career — and that’s a damn good thing — it’s been a meteoric rise in the last year and a half, just the way he plays,” Weight said.
Bailey came into the NHL at the age of 19, just five months after the Islanders selected him ninth overall in the 2008 draft. He averaged 11 goals and 18.5 assists per season through his first six years (including the shortened lockout year in 2012-13) for an organization that had a winning record and made the playoffs just once in that span.
Having played with Bailey from 2008-2011, Weight has had a firsthand view of the transformation.
“Being a high pick and the destiny of our team, late ’09, ’10, ’11, ’12, we weren’t a great team. Bails was a part of that team and was trying to take it to a new level,” Weight said. “I think people just expected a lot more earlier, which was unfair.
“Now, he’s just one of our best players every night. … He’s not the 90-mph skater, he’s not going to blow guys up, he’s not going to take one-timers that people ooh and ah for, but he makes plays that are smart hockey plays and has a tremendous amount of skill. It’s certainly been a huge piece of our success to this point.”
Bailey made headlines last month with a highlight-reel, through-the-legs goal against the Sharks, but otherwise, he may still be flying under the radar.
“That’s fine by me to be in the shadows a little bit,” said Bailey, who, like Tavares, is set to become a free agent at the end of the year. “We have a lot of good leadership within the group here, a lot of guys that have been around a long time with some guys that have won. I’m just another piece to that puzzle.”
Weight has taken notice of the little things Bailey has done to shape his improved game — his focus, his preparation, his maturity, his demands on himself. With all of that, Bailey has taken on an increase role off the ice, too, moving into “the top echelon of leadership,” Weight said.
As some more recent high draft picks have joined the Islanders’ dressing room this year, Bailey has lent a veteran voice while serving as testament that it’s never too late to be a game-changing player.
“I’ve definitely had a lot of highs and lows,” Bailey said. “I think it just makes you stronger as a person and a player. It gives you thick skin and lets you handle things a little better.”