Islanders Bits: Anonymous people say things about Ratner's Coliseum plan

I thought this ESPN article was awesome because of how anonymously sourced it was (welcome to the 21st century media age; no one speaks on the record, but they would like a "these people said" word with you).

But also because of this (emphasis mine):

That source said sacrificing revenue on those six games at Nassau, which is expected to hold a capacity of 13,000 fans after renovations, is a major concern.

Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, is fitted to seat 14,500. Nassau, currently the oldest arena in the league, seats 17,686.

Please tell me -- and don't tell your local fire marshal -- the last time you saw 17,600-plus at Nassau Coliseum for a hockey game.

If only we were talking about boxing.

It's crazy (not), but the same message got out to the Post, almost as if the competing bids are waging their own campaign in the media (not that there's anything explicitly wrong with this; just noting it for media literacy purposes):

Several sources said the Islanders would need permission from both the NHL and the Rangers to play games at both arenas — and that is not a sure thing.

"You can’t run around playing games wherever you want to," a sports owner not directly involved in the battle said.

For those of you not versed in media and PR, stories like this -- in multiple outlets at the same time -- do not typically come out of some sort of hard-hitting investigative journalism. They come from someone with skin in the game orchestrating leaks and pleas to media.

Anonymously, of course.

To add to the backchannel intrigue here, the Islanders yesterday spread word of a Sports Business Journal article by Christopher Botta (irony alert!) about Ratner's plans to have the Islanders playing games in the redeveloped Coliseum.

Anyway, it's all theoretical. These are the leaks and plants when multiple interests want to win development rights to what looks from the outside to be a lucrative opportunity. But as Wang as my witness, we know that even development rights or RFP victories don't mean much. This is Nassau.

Anyway, Islanders:

• All know the bar is higher; Mark Streit, Evgeni Nabokov and Brad Boyes would all like to be back. [Newsday]
• But Travis Hamonic recognizes that change is inevitable. [NY Hockey Journal]
• And Josh Bailey and others know an 82-game season will demand more. [Islanders Point Blank]
• As you probably heard a bunch, the Isles will play the Rangers at Yankee Stadium next January.
• Good roundup of the IIHF World Championship preliminary round (where the Swiss went undefeated) [Raw Charge]
• In case you're coveting other franchise's damaged goalies, the Blues goalie situation is "cloudy."
• The Hawks won Game 1 last night against Detroit. Here are GIFs.

That's all for now, a person close to the situation said.