TORONTO

Casey Bailey looks good to make his Maple Leafs debut on Thursday night.

But after that?

It’s difficult to say now whether the Leafs have a player who will fill a roster spot in the final eight games of the 2014-15 regular season and never really be heard from again or one who makes a solid first impression and goes on to earn a full-time job in training camp in September.

Tyler Bozak and Ben Scrivens, for example, eventually became National Hockey League regulars after the Leafs signed them as free agents out of college. Spencer Abbott, Brayden Irwin and Christian Hanson did not.

Bailey, who will wear No. 37 and was on the right wing on a line in practice on Wednesday with centre Sam Carrick and Joakim Lindstrom, had as many as 15 offers on the table from NHL clubs on Saturday.

During negotiations between Bailey’s agent, Jeff Helperl, and Leafs assistant to the general manager Brandon Pridham, it was suggested by Pridham that Leafs president Brendan Shanahan give Bailey a call. A 30-minute conversation on Saturday morning convinced Bailey that signing a two-year entry-level deal with the Leafs was his best option.

For Bailey, a native of Anchorage, Alaska, it’s all about opportunity. Some of the teams Helperl was talking to after Bailey’s Penn State Nittany Lions’ season ended couldn’t guarantee him a roster spot this season.

The Leafs, sitting in 27th place overall, could.

“He has a vision to develop his players and turn this place around,” Bailey said of Shanahan. “He told me the things he liked about my game and they were the same things I liked about my game. I really think he is going to give me the chance to develop and get better here.

“He sees me as a guy who can shoot the puck. I like to get to the net. I am still working on a lot of parts of my game. I am not an NHL all-star by any means. I think I want to hone my game and get better while I am up here.”

Bailey is not eligible to play for the Marlies this season. To put it simply, only those players recalled from the American Hockey League following the NHL trade deadline can be loaned back to the AHL.

Certainly, the Leafs want to give Bailey, 23, every chance to stick once camp is done next fall.

The plan is for Bailey to live in Toronto this summer and work closely with skating instructor Barb Underhill. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Bailey scored 22 goals in 37 games for Penn State this past year but those who have watched him play in his three-year NCAA career generally have come the same conclusion.

“Skating wouldn’t be his best asset but he might be okay (in the long run),” an Eastern Conference scout said on Wednesday. “He has good strength and good finish. There were enough people going to see him play, and he was on the radar for a lot of teams.”

Leafs interim head coach Peter Horachek met with Bailey prior to the youngster’s first Leafs practice and came away impressed. With Trevor Smith and Zach Sill “banged up,” Horachek said, Bailey was in a good spot to play against the Florida Panthers at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday night.

“There is definitely a challenge,” Horachek said. “It does not always work out but you have an advantage (as an older player coming from college). You are older, a little stronger, a little more mature.

“Going from college (to the NHL), some players can do it.”

Bailey’s first workout allowed him to get his first taste of the NHL. It’s about to get real for him.

“It is nice to get those nerves out of the way,” Bailey said. “The guys have been great, really helpful and it was fun.”

Biggest difference from college?

“It’s the speed, the size, the quickness of the game, you have to make decisions a little quicker,” Bailey said. “I can’t tell from the first practice, but I can imagine there will be a lot of skill out there.”

PENN-ING HIS LEGACY

Casey Bailey won’t forget where he came from.

The newest Maple Leaf was the first Penn State Nittany Lion to sign a contract with a National Hockey League team. The men’s hockey program at Penn State became a part of the NCAA Division 1 only three years ago and Bailey scored the first goal for the school at that level.

“To go from such a new program to such a solidified Original Six team, it’s an honour to be able to put this on my chest,” Bailey said of the Leafs logo on his green practice sweater.

“The first (Penn State) goal was nothing special. Hanging out in front, got the rebound, put it in the back of the net. It was big for the program.”

Bailey’s father, Glen, recently went to Africa to do missionary work and will not be at his son’s first NHL game. Bailey’s mother, Dawn, might be in attendance when the Leafs play host to the Florida Panthers on Thursday at the Air Canada Centre.