from Andrew Gross of Newsday,

“You know how big it is,” Lamoriello told Newsday on Thursday. “Without a new arena, there would not be the Islanders on Long Island. I think that says it all.”

Lamoriello was able to re-sign the team’s key unrestricted free agents this offseason except for goalie Robin Lehner and third-line center Valtteri Filppula. The previous summer, former captain John Tavares left for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs for a seven-year, $77 million deal that was less than the Islanders offered.

The Islanders will continue to split games between NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center in Brooklyn for a second straight season. Their new building is scheduled to open for the 2021-22 season and Lamoriello knows uncertainty about the Islanders’ arena situation was a factor when talking to free agents.

“I think that’s always something behind someone’s mind, including our own free agents,” Lamoriello said. “But they have the confidence in believing in our ownership’s commitment to getting the arena.”

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