"The eye isn't much of a problem. In fact, said Bryan Berard, he barely ever thinks about it, more than eight years after the sight in his right eye was all but extinguished when he was gouged by Marian Hossa's errant stick.

"To be honest, the eye's not an issue anymore," said Berard, not long before finishing his summer workouts here in Boston and heading south with only the promise of a tryout awaiting him in Philadelphia. "It took a couple of years to get used to it, for my brain and body to adjust, but I don't even think about it now. Not an issue."

More delicate and irksome of late, though, has been Berard's back, along with other niggling injuries. In his two seasons with Columbus (2005-07), the former Mount St. Charles star needed not one but two surgeries on damaged disks, limiting him to 55 games across the two seasons with the Blue Jackets.

"I had surgery on the one disk my first year there," recalled the 31-year-old Berard. "And then when I came back, after the rehab, all the same symptoms came back. Doctors had overlooked the fact two of the disks were injured. So I needed the surgery again, and ended up missing the whole year [save for 11 games] for basically nothing."

At the invitation of Islanders general manager Garth Snow, Berard reported to Long Island last September and earned a contract to play on the back line. A couple of weeks into the season, however, a groin injury slowed Berard, forcing him out for nearly a month and, in his opinion, placing him "behind the 8-ball" with coach Ted Nolan. The former No. 1 draft pick finished with 5 goals and 22 points in 54 games.

Following the season, Nolan was given the heave-ho by the Islanders, and replaced by former Providence (AHL) coach Scott Gordon. But prior to that, the Islanders inked former Habs backliner Mark Streit to a deal that will pay $20.5 million over the next five years.

"He's the guy they will be looking to be on the power play there," said Berard, who has acquired a certain nonchalance about the decision-making that goes into roster decisions. "I figured it was time to move on."

Tom Laidlaw, the former NHL defenseman-turned-agent, shopped Berard around the league, noting that his longtime client was willing to go the "invitation only" route one more time. The Flyers, even though they now sit about $1 million over the cap figure of $56.7 million, ended up being the most interested. And for Berard, the most intriguing, because they should be among the strongest clubs in the Eastern Conference this season. If he can catch on with the Broad Street Bullies, they could be the best bet Berard has had to return the playoffs since his three-game twirl with the Bruins in 2003"