Stempniak excited about trade

TORONTO - Lee Stempniak knows he should have been upset.

Everyone had told him that being traded is like breaking up with your girlfriend. You are supposed to feel unwanted, unattractive and unappreciated.

But when the St. Louis Blues severed ties with the 25-year-old on Monday, the newest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs found it hard not to be happy.

"The first thing my dad said was, 'An Original Six team. How cool is that?' " said Stempniak, who grew up cheering for the Buffalo Sabres in West Seneca, N. Y.

"I guess it's been easier than I thought it would be. I spent four years in St. Louis and enjoyed my time there. But it quickly went to excitement to come here to a team that's going in the right direction and everything that comes with playing in Toronto. Who wouldn't want to play here?"

Stempniak, whom the Leafs acquired in exchange for winger Alex Steen and defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo, made his Leafs debut against the Atlanta Thrashers last night.

Though he was expected to begin the game alongside Dominic Moore and Jason Blake, management believes Stempniak has the potential to be a top-six forward.

"He could find himself on the other two lines," said head coach Ron Wilson. "That's what I'm going to do for the first couple of weeks, slip him in here and there and see who he would be most comfortable with."

Drafted 148th overall in 2003, Stempniak was rewarded with a three-year deal worth US$7.5-million after he scored 27 goals and 52 points in 2006-07. But the weight of the new deal seemed to burden the winger, who finished with 14 fewer goals last season.

"The goal-scoring just wasn't there last year," said Stempniak. "It was disappointing and frustrating. I struggled at the start of the season ... and I just got deflated.

"It was tough. It was a really hard year and you want to leave it at the rink but you take it home with you. This summer, I just put it behind me."

Despite missing four games with a knee injury, Stempniak appears to have rediscovered his offence. He went into last night's game with just three goals. But he has collected 12 points in the last eight games.

"Over the last three or four weeks, he has been St. Louis's best player," Wilson said. "He's found his confidence again."

Wilson, meanwhile, has also found something: a player who shoots right-handed. With the exception of fourth-liner Jamal Mayers, every other forward on the team shoots left.

"He's obviously something that we coveted," said Wilson, who added Stempniak would likely be used on the power play. "He's got a very good shot; a sneaky, hard shot."

Mayers, who played with Stempniak in St. Louis, said fans would be impressed by the 5-foot-11 winger's speed.

"We're very lucky to have him," he said.

"He's fast, definitely. You'll see. He might be the fastest on the team. I'm excited that no one really knows what he can do."

A virtual unknown in St. Louis, Stempniak said he is looking forward to playing in a city where hockey is the biggest sport.

"In St. Louis, I was a bit under the radar," he said. "That was nice some times when things weren't going well. But as a hockey player, you want to be right in the thick of it.

"When you come to Toronto, every time we've played here the fans have been great. At the airport yesterday, people were saying, 'Go Leafs Go.' It's just a really cool feeling."