Streit finished the 2016-17 campaign as an emergency depth option during the Penguins’ Stanley Cup run, appearing in a mere three postseason contests. That inevitably led to him leaving town, as the 39-year-old signed a one-year deal to come back to Montreal, where his NHL career began back in 2005. Known as a quality passer -- he’s racked up 338 assists in 784 career regular-season games -- Streit joins Karl Alzner, Jordie Benn, David Schlemko and Mikhail Sergachev as members of a retooled blue line that will be searching for a leader following the departure of Andrei Markov, who’s jetted off to the WHL. One can marvel over Streit’s longevity in such a rigorous sport, but he'll be hard-pressed to garner a substantial role with the Habs.
Early on last season, it looked like Streit was set to deliver another strong set of stats from the Flyers’ back end – through 16 games, he notched nine points (four of them on the power play) and 33 shots playing his usual complement of top-line minutes. But a groin injury that required in-season surgery ruined his campaign; the veteran blueliner only missed 19 games, but he simply wasn’t the same after returning. He tallied only 15 points over the remaining 52 games on his 2015-16 slate, with a small reduction in ice time not coming close to accounting for the difference in scoring. Now 38 years old and entering the final season of his four-year contract with the Flyers, Streit is a major question mark for prospective fantasy owners. Before this injury, he was a hyper-consistent producer of 40-plus points (including a jump back over 50 two years ago) who missed only one game in a span of five seasons, but there’s no telling whether he’ll be able to bounce back at his advanced age.
The 37-year-old Streit is showing no signs of slowing down after posting 52 points last season. The Swiss defenseman finished ninth among NHL blueliners in scoring and played a critical role on one of the best power plays in the NHL. While the Flyers have numerous promising defensive prospects such as Ivan Provorov, Samuel Morin, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Travis Sanheim in the system, Streit likely still has a year or two left of being the team's top offensive defenseman and power-play point man. Streit, who scored nine goals in 2014-15, will continue to log heavy minutes on the back end, but it’s hard to see him improving any further on the 53 points he managed last year, especially given the stage he is at in his career.
Even though he will be turning 37 this year, Streit is showing the entire league that there is still plenty of tread on these tires. Not only has he played three straight seasons without missing a game, but he's also averaged a half a point per game during that time. Many fantasy owners may shy away from selecting him due to his age, but Streit is a model of consistency and durability -- or at least he has been since his season-ending shoulder surgery a few years ago. There’s a good argument for him to be selected among the top 20 defensemen in your draft; if you can get him later, he could be a steal.
Streit had 27 points in 48 games with the Islanders last season, good for 14th best among defenders. He came to the Flyers in June via trade, and he'll certainly see ample ice time. The 35-year-old is a points-hungry defenseman, but his consistently subprime plus/minus ratings and low PIMs, plus the fact that he's coming to an already-shaky Flyers defense, could make him a liability. Proceed, but proceed cautiously.
Streit is the glue to the Islanders defense. An underrated playmaker, he missed all of the 2010-11 campaign due to a freak shoulder injury in training camp but returned last year to post seven goals and 40 assists, numbers that could even be better this season. The Isles also may be able to pair him with Lubomir Visnovsky which should only help Streit as defenses can no longer key on him at the point on the power play. Streit is one of the league's most consistent offensive defensemen, averaging 53.5 points his last four seasons while topping out at 62 in 2007-08 with Montreal. He has 96 points the last two years with the Islanders.
Streit has developed into one of the top fantasy defensman since signing with the Islanders in 2008. His shoulder injury that forced him to miss the entire 2010-11 season was devastating for the organization as they just didn't have anyone who could replace what he brought to the team. With that in mind, he is 100-percent healthy entering this season and will be the leader of the Isles' defensive corps once again.
Streit has been nothing short of fantastic since signing with the Islanders in 2008. He has rewarded the Isles' faith in him by stabilizing a defensive corps that was in disarray. In two seasons with the Islanders he has scored 27 goals and added 78 assists. The Isles use him in all situations and he would be a help to any fantasy team.
Streit came to a dim situation on Long Island but still would up close his 2007-08 point total, finishing with 56 points. He set career-highs in goals and power-play goals (16 and 10 respectively) and led the team in scoring and power-play categories across the board. As well, he was the only player on the team to play more than 25 games and finish on the plus side of the plus/minus rating (plus-6). Streit showed he can put points on the board despite a lack of bona fide talent, so he should be just fine in 2009-10 with the addition of Tavares and some stability between the pipes. He should fall in among the top-10 in defensemen scoring.
Streit racked up 62 points (34 with the man-advantage) with Montreal in 2007-08, but the Isles are not the Habs. They don’t have the same makeup or firepower -- so don’t expect him to match his lofty totals of last season. The Isles are trying to rebuild from within and while they still have a vet or two to put a few points on the board, it might not be enough to get Streit to the 50-point club let alone 60. Expect a decrease in production, landing somewhere in the 40-to-45-point area.
Streit is a versatile defenseman who can also play forward. Streit will once again see significant power play minutes and is worth owning in most leagues. Last season Streit scored 10 goals and 36 points in 76 games and was a minus-5. Expect similar totals this season.
