Mark Streit

2007/08 Alex Kovalev GP82 G35 A49 P84; +18 2008/09 Alex Kovalev GP78 G29 A39 P65; -4
2007/08 Tomas Plekanec G81 G29 A40 P69; +15 2008/09 Tomas Plekanec G80 G20 A19 P39; -9
2007/08 CH Mark Streit GP81 G13 A49 P62; -6 2008/09 NYI Mark Streit GP74 G16 A40 P56; +6
2007/08 Andrei Markov GP82 G16 A42 P58; +1 2008/09 Andrei Markov GP78 G12 A52 P68; -2
2007/08 Saku Koivu GP77 G16 A40 P56; -4 2008/09 Saku Koivu GP65 G16 A34 P50; +4
...

At this point last season, the high flying Habs were, well, flying high. Les Glorieux were surging into the playoffs full of confidence - first in the Eastern Conference; a dominant powerplay; a strong mix of veterans and youth; and a high-powered offense led by the top line of Alex Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn.
A year later the Habs are plummeting into the playoffs, wings clipped, expectations broken and instead of hope, question marks and uncertainty loom on the horizon.
Continue reading "What a Difference a Year Makes" »

Much can happen in 24 hours.
Welcome back Mr. Schneider! Sayonara Sergei! Have a Kit Kat, Kovalev. We all knew that the Canadiens needed a shake-up.
Badly.
This week GM Bob Gainey has managed to put the Habs locker room through a spin cycle. Interestingly enough, this turnaround has been done without any permanent changes:
Kovy could be playing in Saturday’s matinee against the Senators; SK-74 can be re-called, as can Ryan O’Byrne; and Gregory Stewart should know his stay up in the big leagues is like a game of snakes and ladders. Schneider will see the season through, but Montreal didn’t give up any manpower that could have an immediate impact on the ice.
Gainey, a quiet and conservative man, made a bold statement to everyone in the Canadiens organization – both to the players on the ice and the personnel behind the bench. Continue reading "More To Come From Bold Bob" »

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.

 

Continue reading "Streitened circumstances" »

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."