A third-round pick (No. 65) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2006 NHL Draft, Strait has a no-frills game and focuses on keeping things simple in his own end. He does not often get noticed, but when he does his job it helps more famous teammates, which have included Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and John Tavares, to thrive.

The left-handed shooting Strait made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh on Feb. 21, 2011 against the Washington Capitals, but it would take more than a year for his name to show up on the score sheet. He got his first NHL point - an assist - as well as his first NHL penalty against the New York Islanders on March 27, 2012, in his eighth League game.

He made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 4 of Pittsburgh's first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012, a 10-3 victory. Strait, who was plus-3 in that game, remained in Pittsburgh's lineup for the final two games of the series.

The Islanders claimed Strait off waivers from Pittsburgh on Jan. 18, 2013. A broken ankle limited Strait to 19 games that season, but he returned to play in all six games of New York's first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series loss to the Penguins. Strait scored his first NHL goal to open the scoring in New York's 6-4 win in Game 4.

The Islanders signed Strait to a three-year contract extension on Jan. 31, 2013. Injuries slowed the former Boston University star again in 2013-14 before he was able to play in 52 games in each of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

On July 1, 2016, Strait signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets.

Strait, who helped lead BU to an NCAA title in 2009, spent two seasons with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program and also played for the United States at the 2008 World Junior Championship.