New York Islanders Take a Big Step Towards Coming Home

This was a good week for the New York Islanders franchise. Ownership took a big step to bringing the Islanders back home to Long Island.

For the last two decades, the New York Islanders have had a major issue finding a brand new permanent home. This issue has been a big weight for the organization to carry on and off the ice.

Hopefully, the Isles are nearing a resolution on this issue.

RFP

When Scott Malkin and Jonathan Ledecky purchased the Islanders from Charles Wang, yours truly envisioned this day coming in the near future. Malkin’s career is all about doing major business deals. When the Isles were purchased my brain said, something was afoot.

New York Islanders

Obviously, the state of the art entertainment facility the Isles ownership group is proposing is not out of left field. Malkin and Ledecky have been linked to Belmont for some time. They have been very involved with business partners, as well as state and local government officials to make this project a reality.

This has a chance to be a big win for the Islanders, their fans, as well as Long Island and the state of New York.

Coliseum in the Interim?

If Belmont becomes a reality odds are very high the Islanders would need a temporary home for a season. The Isles deal with Barclays Center gives them an opt-out.

Once the Belmont deal is finalized it will probably take two years to build the facility. So where would the Isles play in the interim?

Simply, bring the Isles back to the Coliseum for the needed period of time. Yes, the Coliseum only holds slightly less than 14,000 people for a hockey game, which does not make Gary Bettman happy. But we are only talking about a couple of seasons.

Also, can you imagine how much of a hot ticket an Isles game would be? Ownership could greatly increase their full-season ticket base and bring those folks into the new building in Belmont.

Again, this would be a huge win for the fans, ownership, and the league. The Coliseum would be a happening place every regular season game. The playoffs would be a whole another notch.

Tavares

Obviously moving forward to solving the Isles building problem is a major step to getting John Tavares signed to a long-term extension. This wasn’t a surprise to the captain as he has been in constant communication with the organization including ownership.

Malkin and Ledecky are very smart businessmen. They realize how essential it is for them to sign Tavares for their franchise and their brand.

Next: Nick Leddy Trade Still Looks Golden

The Islanders are not over the finish line yet regarding solving the building issue. They are getting close to finally putting this issue to bed. Hopefully, this becomes a reality during the course of the season and is one of many things the fan base celebrates this season.