New York Islanders New Ownership Not Given a Break

The Score put out a ranking of all 31 ownership groups from around the league. New York Islanders ownership, while still new, fared poorly in the rankings. We explore why that could be.

New York Islanders majority ownership transferred from longtime majority owner Charles Wang to the duo of Scott Malkin and John Ledecky this year.

The dynamic duo, friends since their college days, have been saying the right things. They want to make the Islanders a premier destination for free agents, they want to win, and they want a fifth Stanley Cup. For fans, this us great to hear from ownership, but actions have to meet words.

Today the Score ranked the New York Islanders ownership 24th out of 31 teams. The Isles outranked teams like the Ottawa Senators who have an owner unwilling or unable to spend and Las Vegas who have existed officially for just over a month.

Why so low? It has to do with the second criteria the Score used to create this ranking

Long-Term Viability

In creating the ranking the Score used the following assessment method: “This time, we’re focusing on the owners, ranking them based on their willingness to spend, level of involvement, and the long-term viability of the franchises in their respective markets.”

With recent reports stating that ownership is shopping around for a new arena, the long-term viability of the New York Islanders in Brooklyn looks bleak.

It’s entirely possible that these reports are just rumors and nothing more or a power move by the new ownership group as we previously stated. But either way, the Isles attachment to Brooklyn is now in doubt.

The uncertainty that results from a potential move could severely damage a team. At the very least it does not look good for investors.

John Tavares’ Signature

Being the cornerstone of the franchise, John Tavares’ signature in at the very least next summer, is a big deal for the Islanders.

Losing Tavares to free agency would be a massive blow for us. Thankfully Tavares has come out to publicly address rumors that he may leave for hometown Toronto. Saying “don’t count on it”.

And ownership to their credit have reciprocated that commitment, stating unequivocally that Tavares won’t hit free agency.

Next: Bitter Sweet Anniversary: Bye-Bye Coliseum

Being way down there at 24 seems a bit low, but in the harsh reality of the hockey world the Islanders ownership hasn’t really done much but talk a big game and create instability in the Islanders market. Twenty-four might just be right, for now.

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