FLYERS FINALIZE DEAL WITH VETERAN DEFENSEMAN
Defenseman Mark Streit is staying in Philadelphia
Less than a week after Streit was acquired by the Flyers in a trade with the New York Islanders, the 35-yearold defenseman agreed to a four-year $21 million contract, according to a person familiar with deal.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Flyers had not announced the move on Tuesday, a day after Canada’s TSN first reported the deal had been reached.
The deal prevents Streit from entering free agency on July 5. And it proved to be a calculated gamble that paid off for the Flyers in making the trade to acquire the rights to the Islanders captain.
In exchange, Philadelphia gave up minor-league forward Shane Harper and a fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft.
Streit has 65 goals and 288 points in 491 career games. And he’s coming off a solid season, in which he had six goals and 27 points to lead Islanders defensemen. He also had three goals and five points in a six-game, firstround loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Following the trade to Philadelphia, Streit had expressed confidence about his chances of securing a deal with his new team.
“Maybe they need a few days or weeks, but I’m pretty positive,” said Streit, who made $4.1 million last season. “It’d be awesome to play for the Flyers. The future is bright. They were in the (Stanley) Cup finals three years ago and there is so much skill and a great mix between veteran players and young players.”
His addition leads to further questions regarding what the Flyers will need to do to free up salary-cap space. They had one of the NHL’s most expensive payrolls last season, and were already set to have eight players scheduled to make more than $4.5 million this season.
It’s a group that includes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who is scheduled to make $8 million.
After spending much of his career playing in his native Switzerland, Streit broke into the NHL in 2005-06 with the Montreal Canadiens. He then joined the Islanders as a free agent in 2008, when he led the team with 56 points and was named an All-Star.