Signing: Isles, Bailey Agree On 2 Year Deal

As the clock reached 11:30, the Islanders and Josh Bailey finally agreed on a new contract for the soon to be 22-year old center. Bailey's contract runs for two years, in which he will make $2.1 over the course of the contract ($1.05M cap hit). He will be a restricted free agent when the deal is up in 2013. 

Last season, Bailey scored 11 goals and 28 points in 70 games for the Islanders.

CH: Well, they certainly cut it close on this one. The last thing anyone wanted was for Bailey to sacrifice an entire season in the NHL like Sean Bergenheim and Denis Grebeshkov did in 2006-07. Either way, it's time to put this whole situation behind us. As far as the deal itself goes, I personally would rather have seen a one-year deal. Bailey has much to prove, and if he goes out and has another subpar year the Isles are still stuck with him on the roster for 12-13.

This year is the "make-or-break" for him. Sure, he is still very young - just 22 years old on opening night - but the Isles cannot afford to wait for him to get better as the team gets better. Especially with guys like Ryan Strome and Nino Niederreiter waiting in the wings. It's why I'm a little weary of the second year. But if that's what it took to get the deal done, I can't complain. Because it's still irresponsible to underrate Bailey's potential. He can and should be a productive second line player when he hits the prime of his career. Keeping him in the organization without any contract holdups for his potential is more important than just looking at his performance to date. The bottom line is simple: the Isles moved mountains to get Bailey into the organization. They gave him a second year on his second contract when they did not have to. It's now on the player to respond.

AT: The perfect deal for a player who we're still waiting to see the full potential of. We knew the type of player Bailey was, and he was rushed into the NHL, stunting his development. We know the type of player Bailey is when he performed in an absolute beast mode to begin last season, then tapered off after the first 12 games or so. This is a great contract as it does not keep the Islanders tied down to Bailey in case his continues to stall in his production, but keeps him under wraps in case he does indeed become the player we hope he can be - a solid 2nd line, 60 point center. With Ryan Strome and so many other centers just waiting to come into the NHL in a few years and take Bailey's spot, the pressure's on. It's his time to train himself to defeat his weaknesses and take advantages of his strength. Not just for him, but for the team to make the playoffs this season.