Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello optisistic about new arena

Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello has no concerns over the construction of the team's new Belmont Park arena.

The Islanders were dead last in attendence at Barclay's Center last season with 12,000, so the new arena can't come soon enough. Lamoriello is optimstic and thinks people will be pleasantly surprised.

"I think you'll know better in the first of the year of an exact date," Lamoriello said on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio. "But it's not as long as people might think. I think a lot will be surprised and I think that's just great news."

The arena is not expected to be ready for several seasons, but beginning next season the Islanders are expected to split their home games between Barclays Center and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. 

"There's no question it will be built," Lamoriello said of the Belmont Park arena. "I was recently in a meeting and I felt so excited because of not only the plans I'd seen before I went in there but all the participants in all the different areas that are working together with it to get it accomplished. There's no question this will be something extraordinary for the fans and the players."

The Islanders have played home games at The Barclays Center since 2015. The team finished with a losing record this past season for the first time since going 34-37 in 2013-14. 

The Islanders last reached the playoffs in 2015-16 when the team lost in the second round to the Tampa Bay Lightning.