It Is Time For Real Talk!

This post is going examine where the Islanders stand on the arena issue.  With 2015 and the end of the Islanders lease with Nassau County nearing progress is needed soon.  At this exact moment there are only three real options for the Islanders.  By real option I mean locations that will have hockey arenas by 2015 and would want a hockey team.

The first two options for the team are scary, because they would mean that the team would leave New York.

1) Quebec: has been able to do something Nassau County hasn't been able to do for two decades.  What is that you ask?  Politically come together to fund a new arena and guess when the construction of that arena will be done, yep 2015.  Don't think for a second that is by accident.  They have their sights on the Islanders.  Quebec fans showed that last season when they invaded Long Island for a game, and they are going to show this again this season when the invade Boston for an Islander Bruin game.

2) Kansas City: is another city with an arena that might want the Islanders.  There are a few reasons why this option isn't as likely as Quebec.  One they don't have a local person (that we know of) interested in buying the team.  In addition, Kansas City is a failed hockey market and the league might he hesitant to try a failed market again after the failure of Atlanta.

 Option number three is less scary that the other ones, because it would keep the Islanders in New York and geographically on Long Island.      

3) Brooklyn:  The Barclays Center which will be done by next year is the Islanders only local option at the time.  While it isn't a perfect situation with the capacity issues, it is a better option than Quebec or Kansas City.  I'll repost how I think Brooklyn can work for the Islanders:

Even with the capacity issues of the Barclays Center it can still become a permanent home for the Isles.  In my mind three things need to be in place for this option to happen:
1) Wang/Islanders need to get a favorable lease. 
With most of the big money already divided up, Wang is going have to find a way to get the majority of the Islander game revenues.  Ratner may be interested in giving him such a deal, since they are about 100 dates short of meeting their projections for the opening year of the Barclays Center.
2) Atlantic Yard Development
In order to offset the capacity issues of the arena Wang is going need to become part of the Atlantic Yard Development.  This project could allow this location profitable for Wang.  Again Ratner will be more than willing to let Wang in on this project in my mind.  For one he needs money to start the project.  Also when he sold the Nets he was willing to give Prokhorov an option for 20% of the development.
3) Is already a done deal
Keep collecting one of the best cable deals in all of sports from MSG.

All of the other local options the Islanders have at this time are pipe dreams

Belmont:

Queens:

Nassau Hub:

Heartland Project:

 

Island Park: