Coyotes Acquire Daymond Langkow from Flames

The Calgary Flames announced today that they have traded center Daymond Langkow to the Phoenix Coyotes pending a physical. It is not known at this time what the Flames will receive in return. It will be his second stint with the Coyotes, where he played from 2001 to 2004. Langkow has one more year left on his current contract at $4.5 million. In four games last season with the Flames, he had one assist. He missed 78 games due to a fractured vertebra and was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey this past season. In 1017 career NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, and Calgary Flames, he has 259 goals and 383 assists for 642 points. For the Flames, this is really just a salary dumping move and will give them some salary cap space to help make trades throughout the upcoming season if needed. For the Coyotes, Langkow will bring some two-way skill and veteran depth to the club up the middle.

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The Calgary Flames will receive right wing Lee Stempniak in return if Langkow passes his physical. In all 82 games last season with the Coyotes, Stempniak had 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points. He has one more year left on his current contract that will pay him $2.3 million. Stempniak will bring some offensive skill to the forward lines, especially on the power play, as well as some speed. Despite being a little inconsistent in his scoring, he should be a solid second or third line option for the Flames.

Coyotes Re-Sign Stempniak to Two-Year Deal

The Phoenix Coyotes have announced that they have re-signed right wing Lee Stempniak to a two-year contract worth $3.8 million. The deal averages out to $1.9 million per season. He was acquired by the Coyotes on March 3 from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Matt Jones and fourth and seventh round picks in the 2010 Entry Draft. In 80 games last season with the Maple Leafs and Coyotes, he had 28 goals and 20 assists for 48 points. This is a good signing for the Coyotes, as Stempniak exploded offensively after being acquired by the team. In 18 games with the Coyotes, he had 14 goals and four assists. He has lots of offensive and goal-scoring skill, plenty of speed, and is good on the power play. Despite having some inconsistency in the past, he should continue to be a good offensive contributor for Phoenix over the next two years.

Coyotes Acquire Stempniak from Maple Leafs for Jones, Draft Picks

The Phoenix Coyotes continued to bolster their roster today by acquiring right wing Lee Stempniak from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Matt Jones and a fourth and seventh round draft pick. In 61 games this season with the Maple Leafs, Stempniak has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Jones has not played in any NHL games since the 2007-08 season since being sidelined with a concussion. This is a decent move for the Coyotes, as Stempniak brings the team lots of offensive depth on the wing and skill on the power play. He should fit in nicely with the Coyotes. Jones should provide the Maple Leafs with plenty of defensive depth as a third-pairing defenseman.

Maple Leafs Acquire Stempniak from Blues for Steen, Colaiacovo

The Toronto Maple Leafs looked to shake up their roster on Monday as they acquired right wing Lee Stempniak from the St. Louis Blues for center Alex Steen and defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo. The trade comes in the wake of rumors that the Maple Leafs are looking to sign Brian Burke as their new general manager. So far this season, Stempniak has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 14 games. He missed four games in October with a knee injury. Stempniak has played strong of late, scoring 11 points in his last seven games and is on pace for a career season. Steen has been rather disappointing so far this season with two goals and two assists for four points in 20 games, while Colaiacovo has one assist in 10 games and is currently day-to-day with a left ankle injury. It is no surprise that the Leafs moved Steen and Colaiacovo as team management has been disappointed with their production the past couple seasons, but it is a bit of a shock the Blues dealt Stempniak given his fine performance of late. The Leafs will get a steady offensive performer with good passing skills in Stempniak. It's a bit puzzling why the Blues would want Colaiacovo given his injury history and their injury woes on the blueline so far this season. Steen has the potential to become a decent goal-scorer, but did not play up to those expectations in Toronto. Perhaps a change of scenery is what Steen needs to become the offensive producer he is projected to become. Playing with some of the Blues' talented forwards could very well help Steen improve his game.