San Jose Sharks sign Justin Bailey, send Filip Zadina to IR

Justin Bailey (cropped) – CC BY-SA

San Jose Sharks announced today that the team had signed forward Justin Bailey to a one-year, two-way contract.

Bailey started his career with the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. After signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Sabres in November 2014, the Williamsville native made his NHL debut in February 2016.

The forward onboarded the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, in October 2023, recording six goals and five assists in 16 games this season. He has played 82 NHL games and 370 AHL career games throughout his career, tallying 136 goals and 105 assists in regular-season play.

“In my career, I’ve gone up and down a bunch. Coming into this year, whether it was a PTO, whether it was an AHL or NHL deal, my goal is to play in the NHL as long as I can,” said Bailey after his onboarding with the Sharks.

Zadina on injured reserve

As Bailey’s onboarding to San Jose took place, Filip Zadina’s upper-body injury placed him on injured reserve. Zadina will miss at least three upcoming games, starting with the game against the Washington Capitals.

The Czech native sustained the injuries in the Friday game against the Montreal Canadiens, preventing his participation in the Saturday game against the Vancouver Canucks. Before leaving the Friday game, Zadina had only put one shot on the net while spending 4:14 on the ice.

Zadina had two assists, three goals and 30 shots on net over 20 outings this season before the injury.

“Under the circumstances, he’s done a really good job,” Sharks coach David Quinn said of Zadina on Saturday. “I think every player is trying to find out what they’re going to be in the National Hockey League.

“No matter how old you are, as your career goes on from year to year, you’re trying to figure out who you’re going to be at this level and what’s going to allow you to have a long, successful career. And I think at his age he’s still figuring that out.”