Justin Bailey making the best of his NHL return

On Monday night, Justin Bailey scored his first NHL point in over four years. It was a simple play. A battle for the puck and a pass to Luke Kunin in a soft spot on the ice. Kunin made no mistake in putting the puck past Darcy Kuemper for what would become the game-winning goal. While the elation of winning was great, being able to skate back onto the ice in an NHL game was even better for Bailey.

The last time Bailey played in the NHL was Jan. 27, 2022 with the Vancouver Canucks. He played just 14 games for the Canucks in the 2021-22 season. He did not get called up the next season when he was signed with the Edmonton Oilers. Bailey is not shy about saying it wasn’t easy.

“For me, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been back here,” said Bailey. “Obviously not playing makes you hungry. I’d say over the last few years, I was pretty close to starving. So, I was ready for this moment. I’m ready to keep going in a positive direction.”

Bailey isn’t trying to do too much during his time with the Sharks. He knows that keeping it simple is what got him to this point and that he needs to stick with it.

“I’m just controlling what I can control right now,” said Bailey. “I find when I’m playing with pace, playing with effort, the bounces kind of start going my way. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”

It’s that same strategy that has impressed Head Coach David Quinn since Bailey stepped onto the ice in training camp. Quinn says the way Bailey plays is a big part of why the forward was signed to a one-year two-way contract and added to the Sharks’ roster on Monday.

“He’s a big kid. He’s our biggest forward and he can skate,” said Quinn. “As you can see, he’s got a little bit of touch too. It was a great pass he made to Kunny [Kunin] on the winning goal. [He] plays an honest game.”

It’s also why Quinn had no problem putting Bailey on the ice on the second power play unit.

“I think he’s got the ability to retrieve pucks and win a battle,” said Quinn. “He’s hard to defend, and, sometimes, that goes a long way on a power play.”

It was Bailey’s ability to retrieve pucks that helped San Jose beat the Washington Capitals on Monday. Bailey started the game on the third line but was eventually bumped up to play on the top line with Kunin. In the third period, he dug a puck out and passed it to Kunin for the game-winning goal.

“I thought Bails [Bailey] did a good job of winning that battle on the wall, which I think started the whole play. Really good poise play to find me in the pocket there,” said Kunin after the game. “Even without that play, I thought he was very noticeable tonight. Every time he was out there, his speed and the energy he brings. It was really good for us.”

Bailey was humble after the game, saying he was simply doing what the coaches asked for.

“We had an emphasis on getting pucks back, obviously,” said Bailey. “On the power play, you’re looking to get shots, and also, at the same time, you’re looking for recoveries. I saw Kunny [Kunin] kind of tied up in the corner and did my best to just get over there, get on top of it and kind of wait for the next play. Luckily, I was able to sneak out there and he found a good spot and I found him.”

How long Bailey will stay with the Sharks will depend a lot on how healthy the team is. Tomas Hertl missed Monday night’s game with an injury. Filip Zadina, Oskar Lindblom, Logan Couture and Alexander Barabanov are all on injured reserve. No one knows when those players will be back in the lineup. Until then, Bailey has a chance to prove that he should stick around even after the Sharks get healthy.

He thinks of it as just another step on his journey.

“I think for me, this is just been a moment that’s been on my radar for a couple years now,” said Bailey. “I had a couple of injuries that set me back. You obviously have a lot of time to think about stuff when you’re hurt and can’t do anything. For me, I was focused on coming in here, taking it step by step, training camp, preseason, going down there [to the Barracuda] and handling business. This is just another step in the right direction.”