Puckmover Mark Streit coveted

One of the most coveted defenseman via trade is 35 year old New York Islanders d-man Mark Streit, NHL sources say. The Islanders off to a strong 3-2-1 start, are already getting calls on Streit from teams who are making their interest known were GM Garth Snow to put the pending free agent on the trade block at somepoint this season.

Two teams with significant interest is Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers.

The Islanders might end up stuck in a difficult decision if they fade in the standings as the April 3rd trade deadline nears. They struggle to lure free agents, which makes resigning Streit a priority but at 35 years old, the best route for the Islanders might be to move him for more young assets to grow with this group if this team is once again out of the playoff race.

Do the Penguins figure to go hard after Streit?

You can bet they will look into him, sources say. The Penguins have felt a need for a veteran puck moving defenseman which had the team prior to the lockout ending discussing the possibility of trying to re-acquire Sergei Gonchar.

Streit will be extremely coveted by teams like the Penguins that value puck moving defenseman so high and have a need for a power play quarterback.