Islanders to submit bid to build arena at Belmont Park

The New York Islanders might be zeroing in on a new home.

The club intends to file a bid with the state to construct a new arena at Belmont Park, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed Friday.

"Yes, there is a (request for proposal) for Belmont and I know they are going to participate in that," Bettman told a group from The Associated Press Sports Editors, according to Newsday's Mike Rose, Jim Baumbach, and Robert Brodsky.

As he's said before, Bettman made it clear Islanders owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky are "reviewing their options" - another of which is the land next to Citi Field, home of Major League Baseball's New York Mets, in Willets Point.

"I believe that everyone thinks there is a terrific opportunity there, if not at Willets Point, to create a more hockey-friendly environment for the Islanders, which is something Scott is committed to do," Bettman said.

The NHL club has been talking with the Mets' owners about collaborating on the potential development, sources told Newsday.

Belmont Park has been on the Islanders' radar for months, as Newsday reported in July.

A deadline is nearing for the team and Barclays Center officials to begin renegotiating their license agreement. That renegotiation period must happen before either side can opt out of the pact in January.

The Islanders have been exploring alternatives to the current arena due to its well-documented lackluster ice conditions, poor sightlines, and the difficult commute it requires for many of the team's fans on Long Island.

A report from Chris Botta in October claimed Barclays Center's piping system doesn't meet NHL requirements, and Bloomberg's Scott Soshnick reported in January that arena officials were looking at terminating their agreement with the Islanders.