Justin Bailey is entering his fourth season in the Buffalo Sabres organization after being drafted 52nd overall in the 2013 draft. In that time he has been developing his skills with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League and the Sabres AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Now with some NHL experience under his belt, this should be the year he looks to make the opening night roster. There are two major reasons for why the time is now for Bailey.
The Time is Now for Buffalo Sabres Prospect Justin Bailey
Size and Skill
First off is Bailey’s raw talent and skill. Bailey’s 6’3”, 210-pound frame along with his speed is something that does not come along often and cannot be taught.
Coming off his eight-game stint with the team, Bailey went back to Rochester and had 19 points (10 goals) in 21 games. Even while in Buffalo his size and speed were evident in games. Most notable he would use his body to protect the puck and then the speed to get around defenders. He was just having a problem finding the net while with the big club, which he showed he can do when going back to Rochester.
Bailey is now just going to have to find consistency in his game at the NHL level and start putting the puck in the net.
State of the Sabres
The second reason is the state of the Sabres. Although the teams top six is pretty well set with Ryan O‘Reilly, Evander Kane, Kyle Okposo, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Tyler Ennis all in the top spots, the Sabres lower half of the forward roster is another story.
Current locks would be Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Marcus Foligno, and Brian Gionta. Also, the Gionta-Foligno-Larsson line played very well down the stretch of the 2015-16 season. However, the bottom three currently is where the holes are evident.
Coming off his disappointing last season, who knows what to expect from Matt Moulson. Could he have a year where he finds it again? You shouldn’t hold your breath. The other is Nicolas Deslauriers, who was re-signed by the club this year and is looking to stay consistently on the nightly roster, but if the team is going to be better, that might now happen.
If the Sabres plan on making a playoff push this year, then Bailey needs to be better than at least Moulson and Deslauriers. Bailey making this roster will make the team better on the whole. Not just in their bottom six, but if an injury were to occur, Bailey jumping into the top six is a much better option then a Moulson or Deslauriers. This is a big training camp for Bailey to take the next step.
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