Barclays Center To Part With Islanders?

The NHL’s New York Islanders may not be playing at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center past the 2018-2019 season.

Frank Franklin II/AP – Barclays Center
Before an NHL hockey game between the New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals.

Bloomberg reported Jan. 30 that Barclays Center owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who also owns the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, shared a financial projection with potential investors that reportedly shows the Islanders won’t be pitching in any revenue beyond the 2018-2019 season.

The team moved to Barclays Center in 2015 after team officials agreed to a 25-year lease at the Brooklyn location.

The lease has an opt-out clause with a January 2018 deadline that either side can exercise. Under the deal, the Barclays Center has been paying the Islanders about $53.5 million a year in return for control over business operations, including ticket and suite sales revenue, Bloomberg said.

However, the hockey team’s average attendance figures are said to be the third-worst in the NHL. Fans have complained about obstructed views and the players have said the ice is of subpar quality.

The Islanders’ previous home was Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, also owned by Prokhorov, which is undergoing a $130 million renovation. The team has shown no interest in returning there, according to Bloomberg.