Islanders Round Table: Belmont RFP Success Or Flat Out Drama

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NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 16: Fans arrive for the season opening game between the New York Islanders and the Anaheim Ducks at the Barclays Center on October 16, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

David Lazar

Up until July, I had no idea what an RFP was. Little did I know, something that I was completely unaware of could become so important for the future of my favorite team.

An RFP, or request for proposal, is essentially a document that will get the Islanders into Belmont Park. If the process goes well and smoothly, the Islanders will be playing in Elmont by the end of the decade. But if things get messy, the Islanders could find themselves in a battle that encompasses the entire state of New York.

For it to be done in a timely manner, everything needs to go perfectly. The lawmakers need to get on the same page and dispel any thought that the Islanders will return to the Nassau Coliseum. The Coliseum rumors will distract everyone and potentially derail the entire process, so hopefully, that option is not entertained.

Barclays Center will also need to be sympathetic to the Islanders’ dilemma and make sure to not “kick the Isles out.” If things in Brooklyn get rocky, it could rush this delicate process and influence lawmakers into making rushed decisions.

Hopefully, things go well and the Islanders have their own state-of-the-art arena that soon turns into the home that Barclays never was. And hopefully, this happens soon.