The New York Islanders are a mess in many ways and will continue to be messy for years to come. They have a terrible record this season, consistently picked in the top spots in the draft in previous years and still have few players they can boast as “elite.” One positive they have is a core of young players who look like they’ll develop into above-average NHL players who can help reshape the direction of the franchise. One of those players is forward Josh Bailey.

Bailey spent four years playing in the Ontario Hockey League with the Owen Sound Attack and then the Windsor Spitfires. He averaged almost a point per game, prompting the Islanders to select him ninth overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Islanders immediately and played the next two seasons in the NHL, scoring 60 points in 141 games. It looked like Bailey was the real deal as one of the players the Islanders could build around.

An injury early this season hampered his play as well and he was sent down to the AHL at 159 career NHL games; one below the number where he would have to clear waivers to be sent down. Bailey humbly accepted his assignment and made the most of his opportunity. In 11 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Bailey scored six goals and added 11 helpers, essentially forcing the Islanders to call him back up. Now he’s playing between 18 and 19 minutes a night as the Islanders continue their slow rebuild.

Bailey isn’t the kind of player you’ll regularly see in highlight reels, nor will he ever be a player you’ll get nightly updates on regarding his recovery from a concussion, but he is one of those forwards who know when to pass the puck. He can work with a variety of different partners and become not a star on a line, but part of a line of stars, and in today’s NHL, that’s something that is sorely missing even from the great teams.