Streit "irreplaceable" but D must step up

Ask anyone on the Islanders--team, coaching staff, general management-- and they'll pretty much universally use one word to describe Mark Streit:

Irreplaceable.

Very, very hard to argue with that. The loss of Streit was a devastating blow to the Islanders on several fronts. Not only was he the team's top defenseman, but also one of the team's top offensive threats, the power-play QB and a very strong veteran leader inside the Islanders locker room.

"You're not going to replace a guy like Mark Streit, what he does for the team and what he means inside the locker room," general Manager Garth Snow told Newsday Monday. "Players know, it's up to them to play as a a team and pull together. The games are going to go on so we just have to go out there and win hockey games."

"This is a crushing injury for us but we'll just have to move on," Snow said.

Defensemen Andrew MacDonald and James Wisniewski, whose responsibilities will likely increase with the void Streit's absence creates, both described what a unique player he is and what he meant to the team.

"I dont think a lot of players in the league can do what he does," Wisniewski said. "He's not just an all offensive guy. He's the kind of guy who worries about his own zone first. He has world-class vision, makes great plays, steady in his own zone, and logs a lot of minutes."

"You can't replace a guy like Streit, he brings so much to the table," MacDonald said. "Everyone's got to pull together and pick up the slack."

With his big lefty shot and the experience he gained last year, MacDonald could potentially step into Streit's role on the team's first power-play unit.

"Last year my focus was defense first, but I do think I'm capable of putting up offensive numbers-- maybe not as much as Streit--but I can still chip in offensively," he said.

Snow also said the injury may create an opportunity for the team's top defensive prospects.

"For the young players here, the injury creates a roster spot so we'll just have to let training camp play out."