Islanders Round Table: Belmont RFP Success Or Flat Out Drama

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UNIONDALE, NY – APRIL 21: Fans arrive for the game between the New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on April 21, 2015 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Matt O’Leary

Does anything ever go smoothly with this team? No, even if they are approved it’s going to be a while before the puck drops in Elmont. The first step is putting together a proposal for the ESD in order to get approved.

The Isles have until September 18, 2017, in order to get in their proposal and that’s only the beginning. If, and it’s still an if, at the moment, they get approved then the arena would have to be built and that, as we know, is not an easy task.

If you’re expecting a new arena or an answer to the never ending arena drama in the near future, I’m sorry to disappoint you but that likely won’t happen. Maybe in two or three years, they can be in a new arena but that’s a ways away.

Is that soon enough to have John Tavares want to stay with the Islanders? That’s obviously the end goal here but there’s no way to know the real answer here. Only J.T. knows the answer to that question.

Although it very well might be a long drawn out process it’s still the best option. There’s no way the Islanders can move back to the remodeled Nassau Coliseum (as much as we’d love that). Over the past two years, it was made rather clear, that the Isles and the Barclays aren’t a good match, so the only remaining option is finding their own home and Belmont provides the best option.