Is Barclays Center Icing Its Deal With The Islanders?

Is Barclays Center planning to drop the New York Islanders?

An article published yesterday in Bloomberg Technology reports that low attendance, poor sight lines, and sub-par ice conditions are some of the reasons the Barclays Center has decided it is “no longer worth it to host the New York Islanders,” adding that the venue would make more money if it stopped hosting the National Hockey League team. A recent financial projection revealed that the Islanders will not contribute any revenue for the arena after the 2018-19 season.

Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire who owns the high-grossing concert venue as well as the NBA Nets (who play their home games at Barclays), has been looking for an investor for both since November 2016. According to the article, Barclays pays the Islanders approximately $53.5 million a year in exchange for revenue received from ticket sales.

If Barclays decides to terminate its deal with the team, the Islanders would have until the end of the 2018-19 season to find a new home. Reports have been circulating that the team may build a new arena by CitiField in Queens or possibly return to its former home, the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island.

BKLYNER reached out to representatives at Barclays Center for further information and will update as news comes in.