The New York Islanders and every other NHL team will have to wait a bit longer before the full picture for a return is revealed. Originally the target date was sometime in December but here we are and there we aren’t. Now, the start has been moved to January, but that’s already on the horizon and the prospects of that happening appear bleak, at least at this point.

NHL Season Start Still Murky

TSN’s Pierre Lebrun tweeted, “The NHL still hopes to drop the puck in early January, which is a month away. A league source said this morning the target date hasnt shifted and that talks with the NHLPA continue. But my own two cents, given the Covid numbers, is that season may be further delayed. Well see.”

Player agent Allan Walsh also chimed in when he tweeted, “Despite what some people with the league may be saying, the idea of the NHL playing regular-season games by Jan. 1st is not viable at this point.”

In October, Vegas Golden Knights owner, Bill Foley said, “We don’t know when we’re going to play if we’re going to play. know the Commissioner’s dedicated to having a season and awarding the Stanley Cup, but you can’t play in bubbles. It’s impossible. You can’t do it. You can’t afford it.”

Only time will tell when the Islanders and NHL will ultimately return, but the economics play an enormous factor in all of this and if the teams can’t play in front of the fans, the teams might not play at all.

However, the online sportsbooks have released their Stanley Cup odds next season which is always a good sign that there will be, at some point in 2021, NHL action to watch. The top five favorites to take home the hardware next year are Colorado (+700), Tampa Bay (+750), Vegas (+800), Boston (+1000) and Philadelphia (+1500).

Despite an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, the Islanders do not have favorable odds for next season, with the books placing them 13th of 30 teams and at odds of +2100.

Islanders Future Home Creating Buzz

When free agents in any sport get to test the open waters, many factors contribute to their decision. Money is chief among them but oftentimes the dollar amount is so similar that other factors come into play. The location, of course, is important, as is the opportunity to win, and the amenities that the franchise has to offer.

One such amenity is the stadium in which they will play in. And that’s why the Islanders new digs, the UBS Arena, is so important in attracting free agent talent and keeping the stars currently on the team from wandering to what could be greener pastures when free agency strikes for them.

The new building is scheduled to open its doors for the 2021-2022 season and former Islander forward, John Tonelli, who won four consecutive Stanley Cups in the early ’80s during the franchise’s glory days, stated, “I think people have always loved their hockey in the New York area. I think this really helps the Islanders get on a level of where we can compete building- wise. The most famous arena in the world is Madison Square Garden, right? That building is phenomenal and does a great job on its own, but now as an Islander, I can be proud to say that we’re going to have a building like that soon.”

Wooing free agents like the one that got away before last season, Artemi Panarin, is much easier when the team can offer a tour of their state-of-the-art facility.

“The best thing that could ever happen for us is the Islanders and the Rangers are good at the same time,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group, a partner in UBS Arena. “They’ve always missed each other. If they get going, and they’re both good, young teams, itd be phenomenal for this building because of the rivalry it builds in New York. Great buildings compete for music, we compete for hockey, and I think thats what New York wants. They want that passion and that energy.”

John Smark