Prior to his most recent position as a scout with the Philadephia Flyers, Bardsley was the General Manager of the Kamloops Blazers from 2018-21, winning B.C. Division titles in 2020 and 2021. He was named the 2019-20 Western Conference Executive of the Year after Kamloops won its first division title in eight seasons and finished the year 41-18-3-1. In his three seasons at the helm, the Blazers earned an 87-54-9-3 record.

Before his post with Kamloops, Bardsley spent 18 seasons with his hometown Portland Winterhawks, beginning as a scout in 1999. There, he was named Director of Player Personnel in 2007 and later Assistant General Manager in 2013. He helped the Winterhawks win the 2013 WHL Championship, which was their third of four straight trips to the league finals.

Bardsley lives in Spokane with his wife and two kids.