Mark Streit

Mark Streit tells La Presse he was surprised Canadiens made no effort to talk to him, much less sign him, this summer.

Streit says his deal with the Islanders –  $20.5 million for five years – makes him Switzerland's second-richest pro athlete, after Roger Federer.

• Pat Hickey analyzes Jaromir Jagr's decision to go to Russia.

• Eric Duhatschek answers 13 questions about what happened this week.

• Now that free agency frenzy has subsided, Hockey Buzz looks at who's left.

Journal du Montréal beat man Marc de Foy reports the Canadiens may be loath to shell out the dollars needed to keep Mark Streit in Montreal.

Kevin Lowe continues to make life interesting for his fellow NHL general managers.

Last summer, the Edmonton GM went on a spending spree. His offer sheet to Thomas Vanek forced Buffalo – which had lost Chris Drury and Daniel Brière – to sign Vanek to a seven-year contract worth $50 million, starting with a cool $10 million this season.

Then Lowe made Dustin Penner an offer Brian Burke could and did refuse to match: $21.25 million for five years. The contract infuriated the Anaheim GM, who has been trashing Lowe ever since.

Edmonton also signed Sheldon Souray – whom no one else, including the Canadiens, wanted – for $27 million over five years.

Lowe's latest signings are defenceman Tom Gilbert and forward Robert Nilsson, young Oilers who were pending Restricted Free Agents.

Gilbert, who's 25, got a six-year contract worth $24 million (3.5, 3.5, 5.5, 5, 3.5 and 3). Gilbert, who made $825,000 this season, played 82 games. He scored 13 points, added 20 assists, was minus-6 and blocked 159 shots – tops among NHL rookies.

Nilsson, 23, signed for $5 million over three years (1.5, 2 and 2). He played 71 games, scored 10 goals, added 31 asssists and was plus-8. Nilsson made $942,000 this season.

Bear those Edmonton numbers in mind as you weigh the value of a couple Canadienss:

• About to become an Unrestricted Free Agent, Mark Streit, 29, scored 13 goals, had 49 assists, was minus-6 and made $600,000.

• Looming RFA Andrei Kostitsyn, 22, had 26 goals, 27 assists and was plus-15. His salary was $612,000.

Josh Gorges, who made $425,000 this season is another pending RFA. So's Maxim Lapierre.

And we won't even talk about Tomas Plekanec and Christopher Higgins, who become RFAs at the end of next season; or Mike Komisarek, who will be a UFA in the summer of '09.

Mark Streit receives blanket coverage in today's Montreal Gazette as the versatile players continues to make people take notice of his play this season. With unrestricted free-agency looming this summer, The Gazette's Pat Hickey takes a look at what the Swiss-born player can expect when contract talks get going.

According to head coach Guy Carbonneau, Streit can be expect "millions" when his agent sits down to negotiate that new deal.

The Gazette's Kevin Mio sits down with Streit for his weekly one-on-one column in which Streit discusses how he has adapted to playing a North American style of hockey and just how difficult the transition from defenceman to a forward can be.

Here's a sample of his answers:

Who was your idol growing up?

"I have different ones. Obviously, as a defenceman, it was Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr, all very good skaters and offensive defencemen. And the biggest one is Chris Chelios. I have his jersey at home and I was always a big fan of his."