The NHL Board of Governors has approved the sale of the New York Islanders from Charles Wang to Jonathan Ledecky and Scott Malkin, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Tuesday.

Bettman said the sale is not final but the hope is that it will be completed before the start of the regular season next week.

"It's not going to happen tomorrow because there is some work to do, but I think they're probably shooting to get it done before the start of the season next week," Bettman said. "If they miss it, that doesn't mean anything bad."

Ledecky is a former co-owner of the Washington Capitals, while Malkin is a London-based investor.