When a 35-year-old gets a four-year contract in the NHL, there are going to be questions about his ability to stay healthy for the duration of the deal.
Such was the case when defenseman Mark Streit signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last month.
Streit, however, doesn’t see his age as an issue. In his opinion, it’s not the years that count; it’s the mileage. And after spending most of his 20s playing in Switzerland, he’s only racked up 491 games on his NHL odometer.
“There is a big difference when you are 35 and have played 15 years [versus] playing eight,” Streit said Tuesday, per CSN Philly.
“The wear and tear is big in the NHL. I feel great, feel healthy,” Streit said. “I had one unfortunate season with Islanders when I was hurt the whole year, but other than that, I played almost all games every year. I’m in good shape. I want to play a long time. I can help this team.”
That “one unfortunate season” was 2010-11, when he missed all 82 games with a shoulder injury.
If he can avoid further misfortune in Philly, he’ll have an opportunity to put up big numbers on a Flyers team with plenty of offensive firepower.
“I’m a puck-moving defenseman,” Streit said. “It goes hand-in-hand. You want to feed the forwards with good passes. You want to follow up the play and join the rush. There is so much skill here up front, such big potential.”
