From the article:
* General manager Garth Snow and Berard's agent, Thomas Laidlaw, spoke multiple times Monday, but the talk fell somewhere short of contract negotiations.
"We're not at that juncture yet," Snow said Monday night.
"We're trying to get a feel for each other," Laidlaw said. "There are a lot of variables. From our side, you'd like to get it done right away. But there can be so many different scenarios. Do they have to move somebody? Is there a roster issue? I .really don't know what's going on from their side. But the discussions have been very good. They've been happy with Bryan."
* Snow said he was not prepared Monday night to announce any roster moves until all the players have been informed. He only acknowledged that the Islanders will start the season carrying more than the minimum 20 players on the NHL roster. A maximum of 23 is allowed. Suspended forward Chris Simon counts against that number but can be replaced by an emergency call-up if necessary.
* Johnson is expected to go down. Gervais, who played 51 games with the Islanders last season, seemed to be on the bubble Monday night and did not have a particularly strong showing in the preseason.
"It's business, so if other teams are interested, you look," Laidlaw said. "But I think Bryan's interest is with the Islanders. It's a great opportunity. They brought him in and gave him a chance, so I think there's a certain amount of loyalty. There's no anticipation to go someplace else right now."
Logan updated his Newsday blog
around 10pm and does some more speculation on the roster while reporting again Berard to this point has not been signed and it's likely Aaron Johnson will be sent down and at this point Garth Snow does not have trade talks going on.
Michael Fornabaio in his Ct Post blog as of 9pm Monday reports no word on this off-day. Apparently some affected players won't be told their fates until the morning, in New York and Bridgeport. That would seem to indicate they're working on deals with one (or two) (or three?) of their tryout players. And that would affect everything else.
Fornabaio also reports Petteri Nokelainen was sent to Providence by the Bruins.
Tuesday's Ct Post update was on Jason Pitton,
NYI Fan Central Commments:
Folks should consider in any hockey management structure the head coach is a big part of the decision making process going on right now and in many cases traditionally the head coach does talk to the players directly before announcements are made to the public. In this organization the head coach is an even larger presence because of the committee setup where he may have a larger say it these decisions.
We have no idea when Ted Nolan returned to New York and no doubt he's had a few very tough days with a loss of his brother and missed the final three games. To jump back in here and start calling in players immediately to inform them they have been cut and what they need to do so we can get a list right now maybe asking too much of Ted Nolan on this day as he settles back into work where he likely had meetings with the staff on players as decisions were finalized. There are times to question management and there are times to take a step back.
By 3pm Tuesday the Islanders will have submitted their roster, this is one of those times to take a step back. Make sure the players know before the media.
On the Berard front seems both sides want to do a deal and both are saying the right things.