The New York Islanders may return to their old stomping grounds before calling Belmont Park home.
While the Islanders' new arena is being built, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league would entertain the idea of the team playing games at Nassau Coliseum - their home from 1975-2015 - until their new rink is complete.
The Islanders have been playing their home games at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn since the 2015-16 season. The building was intended to be a basketball-only facility, which has caused issues with the ice surface, as well as the sightlines for fans.
Islanders co-owner John Ledecky said they plan to play the 2018-19 season at the Barclays Center, as per their lease. However, where they play for the 2019-20 season and beyond - until the Belmont arena is finished - remains unclear.
The Coliseum re-opened in March 2017 after an 18-month, $165-million renovation.
A spokesperson for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment - the same company that operates both the Barclays Center and the Coliseum - said they have presented the Islanders with a proposal to make the Coliseum their interim home, adding that the company is "prepared to facilitate any necessary enhancements" to the aging arena.
Following the Islanders' Belmont Park news conference, The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo's office released the following statement:
"New York State will negotiate with the New York Islanders to ensure they will play as many games as possible at the Nassau Coliseum while the state-of-the-art arena at Belmont is being built, returning the Islanders home to Long Island in the nearest possible future."
The 26-year-old has been out all season as he recovers from knee surgery to repair an injury he suffered during the team's historic playoff run last spring.
The veteran put up career numbers in 2016-17, pacing the team's defense with 16 goals during the regular season and finishing third on the club in playoff scoring with 13 points in 22 games.
Ellis' return should boost a team that's fared admirably in his absence. The Predators currently sit second in the Central Division, just one point back of the Winnipeg Jets with two games in hand.
The 26-year-old has been out all season as he recovers from knee surgery to repair an injury he suffered during the team's historic playoff run last spring.
The veteran put up career numbers in 2016-17, pacing the team's defense with 16 goals during the regular season and finishing third on the club in playoff scoring with 13 points in 22 games.
Ellis' return should boost a team that's fared admirably in his absence. The Predators currently sit second in the Central Division, just one point back of the Winnipeg Jets with two games in hand.
Rask earned top marks after going 9-0-1 on the month while posting a 1.22 goals-against average, a .955 save percentage, and two shutouts. The 30-year-old's hot play saw him named the league's first star of the week prior to the Christmas break, and has helped the Bruins jump into second place in the Atlantic Division.
Bailey earned second star honors after leading all skaters with 22 points, including 15 assists, in 15 games. Bailey posted seven multi-point performances, and thanks to his stellar output now sits second in league scoring with 50 points.
The NHL's top producer, Kucherov was named the third star of the month. The 24-year-old led the league with an average of 1.54 points per game. He scored eight goals and 12 assists in 13 outings, to bring his totals to 24 goals and 56 points - both league highs.
Boeser paced all rookie skaters with eight goals and finished second with 13 points in 13 games. The 20-year-old narrowly edged Boston Bruins forward Danton Heinen, who finished the month with five goals and a rookie-high 14 points in 14 outings.
Boeser - who also earned rookie honors in November - sits tied for fourth among all players league-wide with 21 goals on the year, and leads all Canucks with 38 points in 36 games.
Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty is trying to focus on what he can control as opposed to the swirling trade rumors containing his name.
"You just live your life and worry about your family," Pacioretty said, according to Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. "If it happens, it happens. I'm very proud of the past success I've had in Montreal. I've played here for 10 years and I've never gone through something like this. I've gone through ups and downs, but never this low."
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported Saturday that the Canadiens were actively shopping Pacioretty, preferably for a younger goal-scorer.
Head coach Claude Julien says he has not discussed the rumors with Pacioretty - instead, the two have been talking about the 29-year-old's game. Pacioretty has severely tailed off in recent weeks, having scored just once in his last 21 games.
"Rumors are rumors and why fuel the rumor by talking to him about a rumor," Julien said. "You talk to him about his game and you work with him. As I say, a player will always be my player until he's gone. Sometimes, I don't know when that's going to be, and sometimes he's not going to be gone. ... You have to be able to overcome that to be successful. In Max's situation with all the rumors, he's handling it well."
In the meantime, Pacioretty is tasked with trying to get not just himself, but the entire team back on track. The Canadiens kick off the first of a five-game home stand Tuesday night and will look to snap a four-game losing streak.
There are a few faces you'll recognize on the United States' Olympic squad, but most of the players named to the initial American roster Monday are relative unknowns.
Thanks to the NHL's withdrawl from the 2018 Games, the U.S. team headed to Pyeongchang will be comprised of players from the AHL, NCAA, KHL, and other European leagues.
Here's a rundown of who these guys are:
Mark Arcobello
The journeyman forward played parts of four NHL seasons with five different teams, becoming only the third player in league history to suit up for four separate squads in the same season when he played for the Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Arizona Coyotes in 2014-15.
He's in the midst of his second straight productive campaign with Bern in Switzerland's National League.
Chad Billins
This 28-year-old defenseman plays for Linkopings in the Swedish Hockey League and spent last season with the AHL's Utica Comets. He's played in Europe for four of the last five years and his NHL experience amounts to a mere 10 games with the Calgary Flames back in 2013-14.
Jonathon Blum
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
You may recognize this blue-liner's name, considering he played parts of five seasons in the NHL with the Predators and Minnesota Wild, and also because the Predators drafted him 23rd overall in 2007. He's spent the last three seasons with the KHL's Admiral Vladivostok.
Will Borgen
This 21-year-old defenseman is in his third campaign at St. Cloud State and was a fourth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2015.
Chris Bourque
Ray Bourque's son was a second-round choice of the Washington Capitals back in 2004, but the winger hasn't been able to stick in the NHL for more than 20 games in any of his four campaigns. He's been in the AHL for the last four years.
Bobby Butler
This 30-year-old winger has played for the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, Predators, and Florida Panthers, but he hasn't seen NHL action since 2013-14 and has spent this fall and winter with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals after a couple of years overseas.
Ryan Donato
Donato is a legitimate NHL prospect, and he's been lighting up the college ranks with 12 goals and 20 points in 12 games for Harvard this season. The Boston Bruins second-rounder is the son of former Bruins forward Ted Donato.
Brian Gionta
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
The longtime Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and Sabres winger will be Team USA's captain at the Olympic tournament. He isn't playing professionally this season, but he's only a year removed from a 15-goal campaign with the Sabres.
Matt Gilroy
Gilroy won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the nation as a member of the Boston University Terriers back in 2009. The 33-year-old has seen time with four NHL clubs but has spent the last four seasons in the KHL.
Jordan Greenway
Speaking of Boston University, Greenway is in his third year with the Terriers and has 17 points in 19 games. The 20-year-old left winger is a Wild prospect who was taken in the second round in 2015.
Ryan Gunderson
This 32-year-old defenseman has played for various clubs in Finland, Sweden, and Belarus since 2010, and he toiled in the ECHL and AHL before that.
Chad Kolarik
Once a seventh-round pick of the Coyotes, Kolarik has only six NHL games to his name, having played in Sweden, Russia, Switzerland, and Germany since 2010.
Broc Little
Little had some good years with Yale, but his college tenure was a long time ago. Since leaving the Bulldogs in 2011, the 29-year-old forward spent six years playing in Sweden and is now with Davos in Switzerland, where he's put up 19 goals and 31 points in 35 games.
John McCarthy
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
This very late pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2006 has since had a few decent AHL campaigns and has played 88 games for the big club. But at 31 years old, he still hasn't proven capable of carving out a steady NHL role. The winger has 12 points in 29 contests with the San Jose Barracuda this season.
Brian O'Neill
O'Neill has spent the last two seasons with Jokerit in the KHL, following a five-year AHL career in which he made only 22 NHL appearances. He won the Calder Cup with the Manchester Monarchs in 2015 and played with Little as a Bulldog for three of his four collegiate campaigns.
Garrett Roe
Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, and Austria have been the hockey homes of this 29-year-old winger over the last five seasons, and he's currently playing for EV Zug in the Swiss National League, where he's piled up 37 points in 31 games.
Bobby Sanguinetti
Sanguinetti has plied his trade in Switzerland for the last couple of years after a two-year stint in the AHL and one KHL season. He played 40 games over two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, as well as five contests with the New York Rangers, but managed only six points in his brief NHL tenure.
Jim Slater
Slater played 10 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise after being taken 30th overall in 2002. He's been playing in Switzerland for the last three years.
Ryan Stoa
Stoa is a 30-year-old center who's spent the last five seasons in the KHL. He was a second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2005, but played only 37 games for them over two campaigns and appeared in only three contests for the Capitals before heading to Russia.
Troy Terry
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
He's best known for his shootout prowess, scoring three times in the post-overtime session to beat Russia in the semifinals at the World Junior Hockey Championship last January, then notching the only shootout goal as the U.S. came from behind to stun Canada for gold.
The 20-year-old center is an Anaheim Ducks prospect in his third season with the University of Denver, with whom he won the national championship last spring.
Noah Welch
Fans of the Thrashers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Panthers, and Penguins might recall Welch, although his NHL career was less than memorable. The 35-year-old blue-liner has been playing in Sweden since 2011-12.
James Wisniewski
One of the most recognizable names on the U.S. roster has 36 points in 23 games for the Kassel Huskies of Germany's second-tier DEL2 league this season. He hasn't played in the NHL since suffering a devastating injury in the season opener while with the Hurricanes in 2015-16.
Ryan Zapolski
The lone goalie added to the initial roster has a .935 save percentage in 32 games with Jokerit this season. He's spent the last two years in Helsinki after playing three campaigns with another Finnish club, Lukko Rauma, and spending the three previous years in the ECHL.
