Last year I spelled out the details of Josh Bailey’s career with the New York Islanders.
I won’t go into detail again, but suffice it to say, he has never been a consistent scorer. His career high is 16 goals in 80 games, 5 years ago. This season, with an improved team around him, he has 8 in 40 games. Once again, right before the All-Star break, he went on a little tear and actually had 6 points (1g 5a) in the three games leading up to the break, playing wing on the first line with Tavares and Okposo.
Of course, since then, with Okposo out, Bailey has returned to form, zero goals and just two assists in the last seven games.
And yet, in a 2-1 game late in the third period against Boston this weekend, who was still out there getting first line minutes, playing on the first powerplay unit and even getting the best chance the Islanders had in the closing seconds? Josh Bailey.
At the time, I couldn’t believe it had come to this again for the Islanders.
With all the depth added this year, somehow the Isles are still counting on Bailey to score consistently, and he just doesn’t.
— Mike McBride (@MikemacSports) February 8, 2015
The truth is, as long as the Islanders are dependent on the likes of Josh Bailey to score consistently, and continue to give him big minutes expecting it, they will not be as successful as we’d like them to be. He’s not the answer offensively. He’s not a top 6 forward, he is not a gifted scorer. Expecting him to be is not helping him any.
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