Calgary Flames Trade Daymond Langkow Back to Coyotes to Acquire Lee Stempniak

Center Daymond Langkow will be returning to the Phoenix Coyotes, where he played in 2001-04, if he passes a physical examination.

In return, the Flames acquired forward Lee Stempniak, who had 19 goals and 19 assists last season with the Coyotes.

Stempniak has 20 goal potential, and is entering the final year of a contract with a $1.9 million dollar cap hit.

Stempniak has the ability to play on either wing, and can also play on both the penalty kill and power play.

The Flames organization added an element of youth, trading the 34-year-old Langkow for the 28-year-old Stempniak, as well as eliminating some of the salary cap.

According to NHL.com, Jay Feaster, the Flames general manager, had this to say about acquiring Stempniak:

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"Stempniak is a guy who has shown he can score goals at a pretty decent rate, he's a player that plays off of confidence. When he's going, he's the guy who scores in bunches. When he loses confidence in himself, you really need to get him picked back up because that's a big part of it for him. He's in the final year of a contract so he's a guy playing for that next deal."

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The trade adds depth to the Flames, as Stempniak is a 20 goal scorer at least, scoring 19 with an anemic Coyotes offense.

Playing with a strong Flames offense should help bolster his game a bit, as well as the confidence and willingness to play in Calgary.

"You want to play in a place where hockey matters," he said according to the Flames' official Twitter feed. "You love being in a market like that. I'm so excited to come to Calgary."

A player's morale is important in any sport, and Stempniak is excited to be a Flame.

Acquiring Stempniak is a good move by Feaster, which may help the Flames get back into the playoffs this coming season.