The New York Islanders just completed their first season at Barclays Center after moving to Brooklyn from Long Island, but according to a report, they may already be looking for a way out.
Bloomberg.com's Scott Soshnick reports that Jonathan Ledecky and Scott Malkin, the owners of the Islanders -- having just assumed majority control from Charles Wang on July 1 -- are exploring an opportunity to move into a new arena in Queens if they can't agree on certain hockey-related improvements at Barclays Center. According to the report, the Islanders have been discussing this for "months" with the New York Mets' ownership group on the project. The arena could potentially be built adjacent to Citi Field. A return to Long Island is not in the cards for the team, according to the report.
It's an interesting development, but much remains to be seen in just how viable such a move really is.
That said, onsidering how the last year went in Brooklyn, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that ownership would at the very least consider alternative options. Barclays Center's first year with hockey was a challenging one.
There were some issues with the arena that were well known long before the Islanders made their move. Among them, the arena holds 15,700 for hockey with around 1,500 seats coming with an obstructed view. In some seating areas of the building, one of the nets is not visible to fans. The average attendance of 13,626 was third lowest in the entire NHL for the 2015-16 season. Not only that, but even if the Islanders filled the building for every game, they'd still only be 24th in the NHL in average attendance considering their low capacity by the league's standards.
Additionally, there were occasional clashes with fans and Barclays Center management over the way traditions of the past were being translated to the new facility. Even the team's new goal horn was scrapped when it was widely panned by the Isles' existing fans, but that's only one of several examples.
For the issues that have existed at Barclays, some of it has to be chalked up to the fact that it was their first year. There will always be kinks to be worked out in new settings. The things that they can't fix, however, involve significant business concerns, ones that were accepted by Wang before he sold his majority stake. It would appear Ledecky and Malkin are less accepting of the existing situation.
The stadium capacity and obstructed view seating is what it is and there's not much that can change there. Other issues like improving fan relations with existing Islanders supporters and things of that nature are fixable, but that may not be enough.
The benefits to leaving are numerous and that's not necessarily a knock on Barclays, which wasn't built to accommodate a hockey team. If they got the new arena in the Willets Point area, which also includes the National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, the Isles have a blank slate to work with. Larger seating capacity, being able to tailor the building to their needs and becoming a bit more accessible to Long Island are pretty enticing benefits.
But this is still early in the process and could take years to really get rolling, if it ever happens at all. However, Islanders fans will be sure to appreciate the initiative being displayed by the current owners, if they are indeed having these discussions and exploring these options.
If nothing else, this potential threat puts things in motion for Barclays Center to make more improvements to the business relationship and do more to mitigate some of the arena issues. That could be easier said than done, but ownership apparently sees an opportunity to better position themselves in the long term one way or another. Exploring every option available to them is just smart business.
