Arthur Staple of Newsday: Training camp is a couple days away, and Islanders RFA Brock Nelson is still looking for a contract. It’s been awhile since the sides have talked.
“We haven’t heard from them in six weeks,” Salcer told Newsday on Monday. “Garth and I talked six weeks ago after they made an offer, which was nowhere near commensurate with what players like Brock are making. Garth said he’d get back to me and that was it. No negotiations whatsoever.”
Nelson rejected the Islanders qualifying offer, as well as a two-year deal.
“I don’t want to get into numbers, but for the first year, it’s half of what players similar to Brock are making,” Salcer said. “And in year two, it’s a third of what players similar to Brock are making . . . We’re not being unreasonable. This is all their doing.”
Arthur Staple of Newsday: Islanders Kyle Okposo is entering the final year of his five-year deal. There have only been brief talks between the two sides, but they went nowhere. There haven’t been any new talks and thoughts around the league are that the he could be traded for the right price. GM Garth Snow was shopping him before the draft. Okposo on the trade talk.
“It’s pretty hard not to when you go somewhere and everyone’s asking you whether you’re going to be traded or not,” he said of his offseason spent primarily in his native St. Paul, Minnesota. “It’s part of the business and I’m not naive to that. There’s a lot of moving parts.
“Am I upset about it? No. There’s things that upset you on a daily basis in this business and you just have to go with it. As far as contracts, trade speculation, I don’t want that to be a distraction. I just want to go out and play the game.”
George Richards: Panthers GM Dale Tallon was hoping to talk to RFA Jonathan Huberdeau’s agent yesterday.