After leading the Islanders to their first playoff appearance since 2007 -- and his first appearance since 2008 -- Mark Streit made it clear he wants to stay on Long Island.
“I’ve said it all along, I want to be back,” the Islanders captain told Newsday. “I love it here, I love Long Island and the organization has been great to me.”
Here’s more, from Newsday:
Pat Brisson, Streit’s agent, and Isles general manager Garth Snow were set to resume talks that halted at the April 3 trade deadline, when Snow was not ready to agree to Streit’s request for a three-year deal in the $16-million range.
It is unknown whether either side is interested in agreeing to different terms. If not, the 35-year-old Streit will be in high demand when free agency begins on July 5.
Streit was a key member of the Isles this year. In addition to wearing the “C” for the second straight season, he led all New York defensemen in scoring (27 points) and finished second on the team in power play points, with eight.
Streit also tied John Tavares for the team playoff scoring lead (five points) and averaged over 20 minutes a night.
As alluded to in the Newsday column, there will likely be some suitors for Streit’s services.
He’s primed to enter unrestricted free agency at a time where defensemen are at a premium -- he, along with Sergei Gonchar, Ron Hainsey, Robyn Regehr, Ryan Whitney and Marek Zidlicky figure to headline the class, which gives a pretty good idea of how shallow the class is.
Streit is in the final season of a five-year, $20.5 million deal that paid $4.1 million annually.