Lamoriello on Bailey: 'Maybe It's Near The End For Here'
New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello had this to say regarding Josh Bailey, the organization's longest-tenured player.
David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports - Lamoriello on Bailey: 'Maybe It's Near The End For Here'One of the biggest takeaways from the New York Islanders media availability at the end of the season came from the mouth of the club's longest-tenured Islanders, Josh Bailey.
The 33-year-old forward, who has one year remaining on his contract -- a $5 million cap hit -- struggled on the ice, which led to him falling out of favor with head coach Lane Lambert.
He scored eight goals with 17 assists, averaging a career-low 15:08 minutes per game in a career-low 64 games since becoming an everyday NHLer (not including shortened 2012-13 season).
The first-year bench boss made it relatively clear earlier in the season that Bailey was no longer someone who would be an everyday player, and that stayed constant when he didn't play in any of the Islanders' playoff games.
"If I'm going to be sitting in the stands a lot, that is not something I want to do," Bailey said come seasons end.
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, who met with the media on Tuesday afternoon, was asked about Bailey's comments and what that means about his future with the club.
The Hall of Fame general manager, who has been a rather loyal manager over his career, was honest about the situation at hand.
"Loyalty will never get in the way of impeding progress or making whatever decisions I have a responsibility to make. Never," Lamoriello said. "In Josh's case, it looks like, maybe it's near the end here. In our situation, Josh and I have, I think a man-to-man relationship as far as honesty, and we will work with him -- whatever -- to help him, but my priority is doing what's best for the team."
If the Islanders want to retain their unrestricted free agents (Pierre Engvall, Scott Mayfield, Zach Parise, and Semyon Varlamov) --- which Lamoriello said is the plan -- some of, if not all of Bailey's contract, needs to be cleared.
The ideal move would be to trade him and his entire contract, but it takes two to tango.
The Islanders can buy Bailey out during the first buyout window -- 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is raised -- would save the team $2.33 million in 2023-24 but would carry a cap penalty of $1.66 million in 2024-25.
The Islander rather have as much money as possible following the 2024-25 season, as that's when Veinza-caliber netminder Ilya Sorokin needs to get extended.
If Bailey is not bought out and is not traded before the start of next season, the only other option would be to waive Bailey. Burying him in the minors would save them $1.15 million, making his cap hit $3.825 million for the upcoming season.