New York Islanders Re-sign Defenseman Samuel Bolduc On Saturday morning, former New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-brock-nelson-adam-pelech-ryan-pulock-jg-pageau-ilya-sorokin] head coach and current general manager of the Nashville Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/], Barry Trotz, shipped centerman Ryan Johansen to the Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/news/2-time-stanley-cup-winning-avalanche-gm-pierre-lacroix-makes-hhof-class-of-2023] in exchange for center Alex Galchenyuk. READ MORE: PREDATORS TRADE RYAN JOHANSEN TO AVALANCHE FOR ALEX GALCHENYUK [https://thehockeynews.com/news/predators-trade-ryan-johansen-to-avalanche-for-alex-galchenyuk] The Predators retained 50 percent ($4 million) of Johansen's $8 million cap hit. So what does this trade have to do with Trotz's former squad? As we gear up for the 2023 NHL Draft -- this upcoming Wednesday and Thursday -- this would be the ideal time for New York to move Josh Bailey [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-josh-bailey-lou-lamoriello-contract-longest-tenured-islanders], who voiced his displeasure with his situation this past season. Bailey, the Islanders' longest-tenured Islander, was a healthy scratch often and watched the playoffs from the player's suite. When Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-josh-bailey-lou-lamoriello-contract-longest-tenured-islanders] spoke to the media, he let it be known that "maybe it's near the end here" for Bailey and that he would work with him but wouldn't allow loyalty to get in the way of making the Islanders better in the process. In November, Trotz -- who was out of work after being "fired" by New York -- joined the Bob McKown [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6wyOIvW6rHxxsqQ226Qsrw?si=YUu-RuGJSmeuTnRyGVKzsw&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A7h1JJsyZOwpuzwgn9ruRMe&nd=1] podcast shortly after Bailey skated in his 1,000th NHL game and had this to say about his former player: "He was great. He is such a caring individual," Trotz said. "Sneaky good in terms of understanding the game, quietly makes unbelievable plays that go unnoticed...little things. You think about 1,000 games with one organization in a big market, very quiet. Shoutout to him. He is a terrific person and a really underrated player for a lot of years. "The first time I ever met Josh, I was at an all-star game. Never said two words for the most part. Quiet but very smart. Hockey IQ is through the roof. You're not going to find a better person than Josh." Looking at the Predators roster, Bailey should get playing time on a Nashville team seemingly about to start a rebuild: So, how could the two sides come to terms on a trade? The Islanders could attach a second-round pick with Bailey to move him as a complete cap-dumping move. But if the Predators are committing to a rebuild, one would think that defenseman Tyson Barrie, who was part of a deal that sent defenseman Mattias Ekholm to the Edmonton Oilers at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, could be on the move. Like Bailey, Barrie has one year left on his deal at a slightly lower cap hit of $4.5 million. Barrie fills a significant hole for New York, given his power-play prowess. Not only that, but the fact that he is a right-handed defenseman could be of value if pending unrestricted free agent Scott Mayfield decides to sign elsewhere in free agency. Although we can't be certain what a trade could look like between the two sides, there's no reason to believe this would be a one-for-one trade. It would likely take Bailey and a second-round pick to move on from his salary, and given the fact that Barrie does play, averaging 19:47 in 2022-23, he certainly has more value. This deal would be a crazy but fitting end to the Bailey saga, as he would get to play for Trotz again while the Islanders would kill two birds with one stone.
