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Islanders talking with Mets about possible move to Queens

According to a Newsday report (subscription required), Islanders owner Charles Wang has talked with Mets COO Jeff Wilpon about possible moving the team to Queens to be part of a shared complex with Citi Field. Per Katie Strang:

“I’ve had conversations with Charles,” Wilpon said by phone Tuesday, “and we’ve talked about Queens. We’d like to be helpful and I think Queens is an option. We built Citi Field well under budget and on time. I have all my guys ready.”

Wilpon states that no agreement has been made, just that the two sides are talking. He also has not directly discussed purchasing the team with Wang, although he has not ruled out ownership of the Islanders.

Wang has been frustrated with the Town of Hempstead’s stalling on ruling on his proposal for a new arena, and has stated several times that relocation is a possibility. He’s also frustrated over the financial losses he’s taking each season and might look to sell the franchise or even turn over controlling interest of the franchise to the NHL.

Because the league really needs to be owning and running two teams.

At this point it’s looking like the Islanders might not be staying in Nassau County, despite what town officials state, as Wang explored every possibility if his Lighthouse project proposal isn’t approved.