A look back at the short tenure of Mark Streit with the NY Islanders

In the midst of their down years of the 2000s, the NY Islanders finished near the bottom of the NHL standings in 2008. Dead last in power play percentage, the Isles looked for a spark to ignite their power play.

On the first day of free agency before the 2008-09 season, the Islanders signed Mark Streit to a five-year, $20.5M contract.

Making his way to North America later in his career, Streit didn't make his NHL debut until he was 27-years-old, playing his first three seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.

Streit was a Swiss Army knife for teh Canadiens, playing along the blue and even lining up on the wing for the Habs on the man-advantage. Finishing with a career-best season in 2007-08, scoring 16 goals and adding 40 assists, Streit cashed in with the Islanders, taking his talents and power-play capability to Long Island.

“Mark was someone we targeted from the beginning, and we’re thrilled he’s an Islander,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. “Mark provides us with the stability on the blueline that we were looking for.”

After two seasons with the Islanders in which he recorded 56 and 49 points, Streit was named Captain of the Islanders before the start of the 2011-12 season.

“It’s obviously a huge honor and a very big privilege,” Streit said. “It’s a very storied franchise with many legendary players before that have been captain. It’s a very big honor.”

Reaching the postseason just once in his tenure with the Islanders and one season remaining o his deal, teh Islanders traded Streit to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Though there wasn't much success as a team on the ice with Streit, the first Swiss Captain in league history was a sign the Islanders could attract high-end players.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Schedule