Bailey Energized By Fresh Start Flyers Trade Has Provided
ALLENTOWN, PA -- At the end of the day, a trade between two hockey teams is just conducting business as usual. While the players understand that it's ultimately a business decision, the recent swap of forwards between the Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres also presents a chance for a fresh start and a new opportunity for both Taylor Leier and Justin Bailey.
For Bailey, who joined the Flyers' AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms for their game Friday night in Hartford, being traded from the Sabres also meant putting aside his childhood dream of playing in the NHL for his hometown team
"Obviously it's tough, being from the Buffalo area, myself," Bailey told Inside AHL Hockey in Hartford Friday. "But at the same time, my dream is to play in the NHL. Hopefully I can continue to play well [here] and earn my way back up there."
Arriving to Hartford late Thursday night - in the wee hours of the morning Friday and not too long before the Phantoms were set to take to the ice for morning, Bailey said he quickly began meeting some of his new teammates and reacquainting himself with some familiar faces from his junior playing days - in forward Connor Bunnaman and defenseman Frank Hora.
"I got in late [Thursday] night, but I had a good morning skate. The coaching staff,the guys were really good helping me get the systems down and help me adjust to getting traded."
That, Bailey noted specifically, along with being paired with guys he said were easy to play with, allowed him to have such an eventful - and impactful - first game with his new team.
"We talked before the game about what we wanted to do," Bailey explained after his Phantoms' debut. "I think from the first period on, we executed. We got pucks behind their D and we able to get over on pucks and make plays."
When it was all said and done Friday night in Hartford, Bailey recorded a goal and an assist while also drawing a pair of penalties and starting a play that ended up being the game's opening goal.
What Does Justin Bailey Bring To The Table?
Those I talked to more familiar with Bailey and the Buffalo Sabres organization note a lack of consistency in finishing his scoring chances he was able to create was his downfall, as it led the Sabres 2nd round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft to perhaps trying "too hard and/or thinking too much."
Similar to Leier, Bailey was also on an extended cup of coffee in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres two years ago - appearing in 32 of his total of 52 career NHL games that season with limited offensive success to the tune of just four points (two goals, two assists).
So what kind of player can we - and should we - expect?
His debut Friday in Hartford showed a little bit of what he can provide.
After drawing a penalty that resulted in a power play goal from Greg Carey, Bailey was back on the ice and helped make it two Phantoms goals nine seconds apart when Mikhail Vorobyev won the ensuing face-off after Carey's goal and Bailey blazed down the left wing - beating the defender to the edge and centering it for a tap-in atop the crease from captain Colin McDonald. An honorable move setting up the captain in the first game with a new team.
"I think for me that's something that I have in my game is the speed," Bailey said, explaining further ,"When I'm able to create a little bit of separation on D, making sure that I use my speed to take them wide and use my body, my frame to get pucks to the front of the net."
Bailey took it one step further when asked about what he think he needs to do to get back to the NHL, and it's something that he'll absolutely have to do more of if he wants to crack the Flyers' bottom-six with his 6-4, 214 pound frame. Using his size to his advantage. Although, he didn't necessarily 100% come out and say that he wants to become a prototypical power forward either.
"I think I bring that speed, I try to be physical tonight as much as I could. I have speed I like to use it to create plays for my linemates, for myself but also I think in order to make that jump to that next level I gotta bring that physical aspect night in and night out."
Teammates Turned Foes
It's not the first time in his hockey playing career that Bailey has been traded. It happened four years ago while he was in the final year or junior eligibility in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). It's also not the first time he's had to face his former team in such short succession like he will tonight when the Phantoms host the Sabres' AHL affiliate Rochester Americans.
"I did it in junior, actually. I got traded to the Soo and I ended up playing in Kitchener I think the week after. It was a very emotional game.I think I let my emotions get the best of me in that one," he recalled.
It's also not the first time he's had to face his former team in such short succession like he will tonight when the Phantoms host the Sabres' AHL affiliate Rochester Americans.
"But obviously you learn from those times and I'm looking forward to seeing those guys, but once we get on the ice I'm looking to get two points."
