Let’s stipulate that this is something the Islanders did not and would never have chosen for themselves.
But operating without leverage in the same world of power politics through which the team prevailed in its bid for a new arena at Belmont Park that is projected to open for the 2021-22 season, the Scott Malkin-Jon Ledecky ownership essentially has no other option.
As such, and as reported by The Post on Tuesday, the Islanders are about to face yet another in a series of seemingly unending challenges by playing a home schedule split between Barclays in Brooklyn and the Coliseum in Uniondale with approximately 50 games reserved for Long Island over the next three seasons.
Sorry to say, it carries a minor league taint with it.
Shoehorning 41 games into Madison Square Garden likely would have been a more attractive, albeit hold-your-nose, alternative.
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Which opponents where? Rangers in Brooklyn or Uniondale? Split homestands or alternate months? What about the playoffs, if there are playoffs? Will split-season subscriptions be offered? Isn’t it more likely than not that Long Island residents will pack the Coliseum and abandon Barclays? What will the impact be on the league’s hockey-related revenue that establishes the salary cap?
And, most critically, because every Islanders issue is distilled through only one prism: How will this affect John Tavares’ decision as he weighs his options coming up on July 1 unrestricted free agency?
Is this honestly what No. 91 is going to sign up for: three seasons in the prime of his extraordinary hockey life commuting between home rinks, with neither one a first-class major league home?
And again: Doesn’t ownership need to know of Tavares’ intentions before the Feb. 26 trade deadline, so management can plot its course accordingly?
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This, too: The Islanders do have a bushel of young assets at the NHL level and throughout the pipeline, but will this quasi Kansas City-Omaha Kings-like existence the next three seasons enable general manager Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight to recruit free agents as required?
Oh, and the burden on the training and equipment staffs.
Worst-case scenario: It is a fiasco.
Best-case scenario: It is a logistical nightmare.
Again, I understand. This is the only route available for the Islanders to get from here to there. This is the price they are paying for Belmont Park.
One can only hope that it does not come at the cost of John Tavares.