Friday, the New York Islanders ensured that one of their top scorers won’t hit the open market, signing Josh Bailey to a six-year extension.
Josh Bailey won’t get the chance to experience life as a free agent, as the New York Islanders announced that they’ve come to an agreement on a six-year extension with the forward.
#Isles Transaction: Josh Bailey has agreed to terms on a six-year contract.
Details: https://t.co/A9RJVpR4Sb pic.twitter.com/gUxa5enaOI
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 23, 2018
While terms of the extension weren’t released, it’s believed that the deal will pay Bailey around $5 million per season.
“Josh has become one of the core members of the New York Islanders,” Islanders president and general manager Garth Snow said in a statement released by the team. “He has developed within our system for several years and it’s exciting to see him mature into the player we always had confidence he would become. To come into the past few seasons and see Josh set new career highs each year, has been impressive and we’re excited to see him continue to do that with the organization as we move forward.”
Bailey, 28, is in the midst of his most productive NHL season to date, sitting with a career-high 62 points (15 goals, 47 assists) in 58 games. His 47 helpers on the year are tied for seventh-most in the NHL with Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Dallas’ Johan Klingberg.
His 90 assists since the start of the 2016-17 season are tied with Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman for 10th in the NHL, 24 behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the NHL lead over that timespan.
Keeping Bailey around all but ensures that he’ll spend the majority of his career with the team that drafted him ninth overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
That he signed what, on the surface, appears to be a team-friendly deal, should help the Islanders in their efforts to re-sign his linemate and franchise-stud John Tavares, who will become a free agent after the season.
