So what’s new in Isles Country? It truly is never a dull moment with this organization. If you presented this script to be made into a movie it would be too farfetched. With that being said lets dive into the news surrounding this team over the past day.
Bloomberg reported yesterday that the Barclays Center will be “dumping… the Islanders after the 2018/2019 season. I wouldn’t say I’m shocked by this story. It appears that the arena is getting out in front of the story as we all know that the Islanders’ owners have been talking about their future playing situations for some time now.
Until I hear from co-owner Jonathan Ledecky publically this is all a negotiating ploys. If the Isles are getting kicked to the curb, they need to have a plan in place soon. Is the new Coliseum big enough to host a homecoming? Is the land at Citi field or Belmont an option? These are questions that all need to be answered. One thing is for certain, Ledecky needs to keep the Isles fans informed. It is simply not fair to this fan base to have them dangling in the wind. They deserve better. Ledecky has talked a big game, now it is time to back it up with tangible actions.
As for the team itself, they return “home… tonight to square off with the Washington Capitals. Cal Clutterbuck and Thomas Hickey will be out as they are banged up and Shane Prince will return to the lineup. Thomas Greiss will patrol the net tonight fresh from signing a three year contract extension with the club.
Three years is the perfect length for Greiss especially since it gives top prospect Ilya Sorokin time to get to North America and adjust to that style of play. Like I said, never a dull moment. Let’s put all the off-ice distractions aside and focus on the game tonight as if New York has dreams of playing in April they need to build off their recent stretch of strong play.