Josh Bailey has had quite an introduction into the NHL.
He’s seen the team that drafted him last year ravaged by injuries as the Islanders have sunk to the bottom of the standings. And he has heard rumors the franchise will be uprooted to Kansas City – all while getting hurt for the first time in his career and scoring just one goal in the first half of the season.
Yet, the 19-year-old wouldn’t change anything about his rookie year with the Islanders – well, almost anything.
“I’d like to win more games, just like everybody else,” Bailey said. “But being a young guy here gives you more of an opportunity to play. That wouldn’t have happened with any other team, so you look at the positives.
“Things are going to come together here.”
Coach Scott Gordon said he believes Bailey is going to be part of that turnaround.
“He could score all kinds of goals in juniors, and it would not have made him better prepared to play in the NHL,” the coach said of the team’s decision to keep Bailey around. “This is going to make it that much easier for him next year.”
Which, for the last-place Isles, can’t come soon enough.
“I’m a Long Islander and this is my home now,” Bailey said. “I’m absolutely confident that we’ll bring this team back, and I want to be a part of that.”