We wrote two weeks ago about the possibility of the Flyers targeting Mark Streit, a pending UFA defenseman. He wasn’t planning on re-signing with the New York Islanders, the team which he’s captained for the last few seasons, and he’s a capable defenseman who can move the puck and play a top-4 role.
It seems the Flyers actually were targeting him. They’ve traded prospect Shane Harper — an RFA who they probably wouldn’t have re-signed anyway — and a fourth round pick in 2014 to the Islanders for the rights to Streit, who’s set to become a free agent on July 5. In the meantime, the Flyers will have an exclusive negotiating window with him. They usually don’t make these deals unless they know they can sign the guy.
“Mark is a player we would have had interest in on July 5,” Paul Holmgren told the Flyers’ website. “We now have exclusive negotiating rights and we are hopeful that we can get an agreement in place prior to him becoming an unrestricted free agent.”
Contract talks between Streit and the Isles broke off last week after he reportedly rejected the team’s best offer. Newsday reported that Streit had asked for a deal worth $5.5 million per year or more, which would be sort of absurd. The Isles reportedly offered him a three-year deal worth around $5 million per year. Streit made $4.1 million against the cap on his last contract.
more analysis to come
