The Islanders have only spent one season in Brooklyn, but they could already be mulling a move.
After playing all of their seasons since their inception in1972 at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, the Islanders moved to Barclays Center for the 2015-16 campaign. Though they enjoyed their most successful season since 1993, the Islanders fans and ownership weren't happy with the move to Brooklyn into an arena not designed for hockey.
Now, the Islanders brass appears to be mulling another move for the franchise.
The hockey club is in talks with the Mets ownership about building a new arena adjacent to Citi Field in Queens, according to Blloomberg. The Islanders may bolt from their current arena if certain hockey-specific improvements aren't made.
The first season at the Barclays Center for the Islanders saw players complain about ice conditions and fans bemoan the many obstructed views in the arena the club shares with the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. The Coliseum wasn't exactly charming, but it was a home to Islander fans.
Negotiations between the Islanders and Mets have been going on for months, the report indicates, but they've been held in private. New York averaged 13,626 fans this past season, the third least in the league behind only the Coyotes and Hurricanes.
The Islanders are coming in off of a season where they finished 45-27-10 and earned a Wild Card spot into the Stanley Cup playoffs with 100 points. New York then toppled Florida in six games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, punching their ticket to the second round for the first time since 1992-93 when they advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
Last season ultimately ended with a five-game series loss to the Lightning, but it was a memorable campaign for New York, which took another step in the right direction.
Now, the Islanders appear to be hoping to take another step -- out of Brooklyn and into Queens.
For more content, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN or LIKE US on Facebook.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.