at Barclays Center on September 21, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

This is the New York Islanders first season calling the Barclays Center home and it’s been a good one on the ice. The Islanders clinched a playoff spot recently and will have their first-round playoff matchup next week. Off the ice, there have been issues with obstructed seats that present an opt-out clause three years from now, but that’s unlikely to happen from either side.

According to Newsday, the Islanders and Barclays Center both have the ability to opt out of their 25-year license agreement after the fourth year of the contract. However, it’s unlikely that either side would opt out of the contract.

“We look forward to a long-term partnership with the Islanders and building on this first year,”Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which runs the Barclays Center, said this week.

The Islanders didn’t respond to Newsday’s requests for comment on the situation. The main reason why New York wouldn’t opt out is there isn’t another arena available in the area for them to play in. Madison Square Garden is home to the New York Rangers and outside of MSG, the Barclays is the only option.

“I don’t see any alternative right now,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said recently. “And that sounds too negative. The fact is, they’re doing well in Barclays and there’s no prospect right this minute of another building on Long Island.”

Sports marketing and business experts told Newsday that Nassau Coliseum, which was the Islanders’ home from 1972 up until this season, isn’t viable because it is too small for the NHL. Nassau holds 13,000 fans while the Barclays center holds 15,795, making it the second-smallest in the NHL.

“The fact they want to take [Nassau Coliseum] down in attendance to 13,000, they’re never going to get back a pro team with a capacity that low,” said Joel Evans, a business and marketing professor at Hofstra told Newsday.

The coliseum, which is partially operated by the Nassau Events Center. is currently being renovated and went it’s done, it will be managed by Yormark while he also manages the Barclays.

What makes things interesting is the Nassau Events Center has a contract with Nassau County stating the Islanders will play two exhibition games and four regular-season games annually at the renovated coliseum. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently said though it’s not “a formal request” and the league would have to agree to let the Islanders play four regular season games at the Coliseum.

While some former players, and some fans possibly, have stated they hope the Islanders eventually move back to their name sake Long Island, it doesn’t look like it’ll happen any time soon despite the opt-out in three years.

[Newsday]

 

About David Lauterbach

David is a writer for The Comeback. He enjoyed two Men's Basketball Final Four trips for Syracuse before graduating in 2016. If The Office or Game of Thrones is on TV, David will be watching.