Jets swap prospect Klingberg for vet Stempniak

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This article was published 01/03/2015 (3912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He pulled the trigger on a blockbuster/bombshell deal of which the aftershock is still being felt across the National Hockey League.

And over the course of the last five days Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff — a man who has steadfastly adhered to his draft-and-develop model with the conviction of a monk — has now made two other trades that are all about living in the here and now.

The Jets landed veteran forward Lee Stempniak from the New York Rangers in exchange for Carl Klingberg Sunday, the deal being confirmed not long after Winnipeg’s 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Stempniak, a 32-year-old veteran of 690 NHL games with the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues, is expected to arrive Monday.

Asked where he figured Stempniak might fit into the lineup, Jets coach Paul Maurice said: “I’ve had 15 minutes here (to digest the news). I’ll tell you more (Monday). We’ve got guys, as every team does, that are dealing with minor (injury) issues. You can never have enough guys at this point. And when you look at the schedule that we have going up against the quality of teams… having some veteran experience around some young centre-iceman will help us.”

Stempniak is a player the Jets were said to be interested in during free agency previously before he signed a one-year deal with the Rangers for $900,000. He kills penalties, has good speed and a good shot — in short, he is the kind of veteran depth piece the Jets have been pursuing to augment their third and fourth lines.

Klingberg, meanwhile, was reassigned to St. John’s Sunday afternoon after Blake Wheeler was activated off injured reserve, and was fading from the Jets’ prospect pool with several draft picks on the verge of turning pro.

Now 24, he was originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009 and has one goal in 12 NHL games. He has been having a solid year in St. John’s, scoring 15 goals and adding 15 assists in 51 games with the IceCaps.

The move also had the Jets dressing room buzzing after Sunday’s win as it signifies an all-in push for a playoff spot… and beyond.

“Stempniak’s been around for awhile,” said defenceman Tyler Myers. “I don’t know too much about him, but any help we can get I’m certainly open to. We’re in a pretty tight race right now and any player that can help us, help our team, all the better.

“The guys have been great since we’ve come in. They’ve made the adjustment easy. Not only the guys, but the coaches getting us into systems pretty quick. The adjustment hasn’t been too tough, hockey wise. We owe a lot to these guys.”

Since early February, the Jets have added Myers, Drew Stafford, Jiri Tlusty and now Stempniak in deals. Myers and Stafford both scored in Sunday’s win over the Kings, while Tlusty picked up an assist.

“It’s definitely big,” said cdentre Mark Scheifele. “The additions we’ve made, they’ve come into our room and been welcomed with open arms. It’s an unbelievable atmosphere in this room. Every guy is a stand-up guy and would battle for the guy beside him. That’s the biggest thing, we do everything for each other and that’s why we’ve been successful.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @WFPEdTait