Canadiens reportedly place Streit on waivers
Suddenly, he’s out of rebuilt defense
From wire dispatches
Veteran defenseman Mark Streit is suddenly the odd-man out in the Montreal Canadiens’ ongoing blue-line shuffle.
The Canadiens reportedly placed Streit, 39, on waivers. The Canadiens have not officially announced the move.
The abrupt decision comes three months after Montreal signed Streit to a one-year, $700,000 contract after he won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins last season.
The Canadiens signed Streit in free agency to restock their depleted group of defenseman. Andrei Markov left to play in his native Russia, Alexei Emelin was claimed in the NHL expansion draft and Nathan Beaulieu was traded to Buffalo.
Streit had no points in playing Montreal’s first two games, before being benched the next two in favor of Brandon Davidson, who was acquired in a trade with Edmonton last season.
The Canadiens’ reformed defensive group also includes free-agent addition Karl Alzner and rookie Victor Mete.
Canadiens coach Claude Julien previously said patience was required to allow the players a chance to develop.
“We’re going to be fine,” Julien said after the 6-1 loss at Washington last weekend. “A lot of new faces back there, and guys are just trying to get used to doing the right things and being in sync with each other.”
This is Streit’s second stint with Montreal after spending his first three NHL seasons with the Canadiens. He has topped 40 points in six of 11 seasons and overall has 96 goals and 338 assists in 786 games.
The Canadiens have been outscored, 11-2, in losing three games in a row since a seasonopening shootout win at Buffalo.
Flyers
Team founder Ed Snider will be honored with a 9-foot bronze statue outside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Snider founded the team in the 1960s and remained chairman until his death in April 2016. The statue will be unveiled Oct. 19 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Flyers’ first home game in 1967. Chad Fisher, of Fisher Sculpture of Dillsburg, Pa., created and built the 1,300-pound bronze statue, which will stand on a 3-foot base encased by solid granite.
Devils
New Jersey announced that forward Michael McLeod is expected to miss four to six weeks after having successful arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee.