New York Islanders moving back to Long Island

The New York Islanders have been playing in Brooklyn for a few seasons now, but they’re on their way back to Long Island soon.

The New York Islanders have been playing in Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, since 2015. An effort to get a new arena built, to replace Nassau Coliseum, proved fruitless and fostered a move to a modern arena that had dates to fill.

But Barclays Center is not built for hockey, with complaints over poor sight lines, poor ice quality and a lack of marketing for the team. With an out in their 25-year licensing agreement coming in January, the Islanders and the operator of Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum are set to part ways as negotiations on an amended lease are ongoing.

The team submitted a bid to build a new arena at Belmont Park, and according to Newsday it has been selected as the winning bid. An official announcement is expected Wednesday morning.

The Islanders’ bid was selected over one submitted by soccer team New York City FC. It will include a 18,000-seat, year-round arena along with 435,000 square feet for retail, a hotel and what’s being called an “innovation center.”

The Islanders are contractually obligated to play at Barclays Center through next season, and owner Jon Ledecky confirmed that’s exactly what they will do. Ledecky also said it will take the new arena 20 months to be completed once shovels go in the ground, so a temporary return to the remodeled Nassau Coliseum looks likely.

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Now that their arena situation is set to be resolved, the elephant in the room for the Islanders is the looming 2018 free agency of captain and star center John Tavares. He has consistently said he wants to stay with the franchise, but he has yet to sign a contract extension. Moving back to Long Island after one more year in Brooklyn, in their own home arena, should help the Islanders’ cause as other teams come calling for Tavares next July 1.