A Case For Mark Streit

We're not going to get into the whole debate over the balloting process for the All-Star Game; we've already covered this a million times. But the truth is, everyone loves debating the All-Star Game. Who deserves to go? Who got snubbed? I still remember gleefully texting Zach last year when Rick DiPietro was selected to the All-Star Game and Henrik Lundqvist wasn't; his reply was not a very kind one. But that's okay.

Anyway, the Islanders only really have three legit nominees for this year's All-Star game: Trent Hunter, Mark Streit, and Doug Weight. Hunter is hurt, so you can scratch him off right away. Weight has good numbers, just hit his 1000th point, and could get the sentimental vote, so he's an option. Streit is tied for the league lead in scoring among defensemen, a list which is heavily populated by defensemen.

Could we see two Islanders go to Montreal this year? Probably not. Sorry to say it, but the Islanders don't have a high enough profile to warrant two All-Stars, nor does their record justify the Isles sending two players. But if only one player has to go, I'd give the nod to Streit. Now, if you've read this blog from Day One, you might recall that we've been very high on Streit for a very long time. I thought he was the one player the Islander should throw their checkbook at, and he's proven well worth the money, not to mention the anger Zach displayed when the Islanders landed Streit and not his Rangers.

Let's look at what Mark Streit has done for the Islanders this year. Eight goals, 24 assists, 32 points. 25:15 of ice time per game, good for 13th in the league. Seven goals and 20 points on the power play, and that eighth goal came while shorthanded. So you see that Streit plays all the time, not just on the power play like he did in Montreal. He's a minus-five, which doesn't look good ordinarily, but he's playing for a team with a minus-42 goal differential, easily the worst in the league. And don't forget about the risk Streit took in coming to the Island. He's playing eight minutes more per game than his previous career high, taking a lot more defensive responsibility, and yet still chipping in at a career pace offensively; also, you'd be hard-pressed to recall even one instance where he hasn't held up his end of the bargain defensively. A lot of other players would have cracked under such pressure. Streit has excelled. And this is a guy some predicted would be among the biggest busts of the 2008 free agency class.

In other words, Mark Streit shouldn't just be a lock for an All-Star berth. He should also be getting some consideration for the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman.

Crazy talk? Not really. Take this to the bank - the eventual winner of the Norris Trophy (it won't be Streit) will have extremely comparable numbers to whatever Streit finishes with. In fact, Streit might even have better offensive totals. And since the Norris Trophy has pretty much become the "best offensive defenseman" trophy outside of Nicklas Lidstrom's stranglehold on the trophy, Streit's as good a nominee as anyone.

Now, let's pretend Streit was still playing in Montreal, but was serving in the same expanded role as he currently is on Long Island. Not only would he have been elected to the All-Star Game and received more votes than Barack Obama, the world would be abuzz about what a great two-way player Mark Streit is. Such is life when you play in a hockey hotbed on a team that's among the better teams in the league. On the Island, Streit is having the best season of his career. It's a shame he's not getting his due recognition. Hopefully a return trip to Montreal for the All-Star Game will shed some light on what a great addition Mark Streit has been to the Islanders.

My prediction is that Streit goes for the Islanders and that Lundqvist and Nikolai Zherdev go for the Rangers. In a different year, you might see another Ranger player such as Scott Gomez or Chris Drury go, but since the fans screwed up the starting players' vote so badly, there probably won't be any room.

EDIT: Just came across this post from The Drive For Five, the 2008 Islanders Blog of the Year, which also discusses Streit's qualifications for the Norris Trophy.

EDIT 2: Gallof confirms that Streit's headed for Montreal.