The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo and forward Alex Steen to the St. Louis Blues for forward Lee Stempniak.
Colaicovo was a nice little player, but injury prone. I have no faith he can stay healthy and contribute on a consistent basis. Steen has been a disappointment. I expected far more, but it appears he's just another guy and not the player his father was. This is no great loss for the Leafs, but what do we know about Lee Stempniak?
Here's a little Wikipedia blurb on the newest Leaf.
Stempniak was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft in the 5th round (148th overall). He led the team in goals in his first full season (2006-07) with 27. He and David Backes joined Jay McClement to form one of the NHL's youngest lines.
Sounds like he has a lot of upside and might be able to be the kind of player Steen was supposed to be. Will Brian Burke be the next Leaf?
