Josh Bailey gets bought out just minutes after getting traded!
The veteran forward will now hit the open market as a free agent.
HockeyFeed
UPDATE: Annnnnnnnd he's gone. The Blackhawks have officially bought out the final year of Bailey's contract. He'll become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
The New York Islanders have reportedly traded veteran forward Josh Bailey along with a 2nd round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for... literally nothing.
Bailey and his $5 million contract for the upcoming season were shipped to the Blackhawks for Future Considerations.
From NHL insider Frank Seravalli:
More to come on this developing story.
UPDATE: And now it's official.
Earlier this offseason Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello stated that it would 'probably be best' for both Bailey and the Islanders to part ways this offseason after a particularly poor season in 2022-23. Sure, Bailey's play has been declining for a few seasons now but his 25 point campaign this past season was his worst offensive output in over a decade. At 33 years old and with $5 million and one season left on his contract, the Isles were willing to pay the price to shed him and his salary. The Blackhawks, on the flip side, have been aggressive in acquiring players with big money deals on short-term contracts. Just this week they've acquired Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and now Josh Bailey all in an effort to get to the NHL's salary cap floor.
As for Bailey, this ends a 15 year run with the team who drafted him 9th overall way back in 2008. He was the Islanders' long-tenured player by far and had been through all of the ups and downs of this franchise over the past decade and a half. While it's sad that his time with the team has come to an end like this, the writing had been on the wall for a couple years at this point. Here's hoping he can rejuvenate himself a bit in Chicago.
