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OK, now there's a Hartford effort to lure the Islanders

In the wake of a report that the New York Islanders might be getting kicked out of the Barclays Center--or, maybe, just renegotiating their deal--the state of Connecticut and the city of Hartford have jumped in, inviting the team to come to the XL Center, a former NHL arena (until 1997) that could be revamped to current league standards.

Though Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight noted that it's the largest media market without a major league sports team and suggested it was a "close call" for the Islanders, the Connecticut Post called it a longshot and Dan Saraceni of Lighthouse Hockey was skeptical, also pointing to Newsday tweets that pointed to New York City as the Islanders' focus.

The Islanders issued a rather Sphinx-like statement that ignored the offer but did not point to any future resolution, as the Hartford Courant reported:
"The public letter that the Connecticut Governor's office released earlier today was the first we had heard of the news," Islanders spokesperson Kimber Auerbach said in an email. "We are thrilled to be playing this season in front of our passionate New York Islanders fan base at Barclays Center, with the goal of making the playoffs. We look forward to another great year of New York Islanders hockey at Barclays Center next season."
Via Newsbell

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