The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Mark Streit to a five-year contract. Last year with Montreal, Streit played in 81 games and scored 13 goals with 49 assists for 62 points. A specialist on the power play, Streit scored seven goals with 27 assists for 34 points on the man advantage.

"Mark was someone we targeted from the beginning and we're thrilled he's an Islander," said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. "Mark provides us with the stability on the blueline that we were looking for."

Said Streit, who agreed to the contract at 2:00 AM in Switzerland on Tuesday: "It's late in Europe right now, but I'm really happy to be an Islander. The whole day, the Islanders showed interest in me and this is an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

A native of Englisberg, Switzerland, Streit is a veteran of 205 NHL games and has scored 25 goals and 84 assists for      109 points. On the power play over the course of three NHL seasons, Streit has scored a total of 11 power goals with 45 assists for 56 points.

Last season, Streit finished tied for 11th in the NHL in power play scoring and finished tied for second among defensemen.

Streit also has eight years of experience in the Swiss league where he scored a total of 57 goals and 139 assists for 196 points in 363 games.

The 30-year old Streit was originally drafted by Montreal in the ninth round (262nd overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.