Langkow for Stempniak

			2010-2011 NHL Statistics				July 1st Status
To Phoenix	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Years	Cap Hit
Daymond Langkow	F	34	4	0	1	1	1	$4.5 million
--------------------------
To Calgary	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Years	Cap Hit
Lee Stempniak	F	28	82	19	19	38	1	$1.9 million

The Coyotes have re-acquired centre Daymond Langkow from the Flames on Monday afternoon, the team that they deal Langkow to back before the 2005 season, in exchange for veteran forward Lee Stempniak.

In the deal, Phoenix gets an aging centre with some pretty good playmaking abilities, but is coming off a year where he was limited to four games thanks to a neck injury, while the Flames get a grinding winger with some offensive upside for significantly less on the cap hit side.

Both players are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2012 season as well, so the experiment doesn't have to last for very long on either end.

The Flames, in this deal, were able to cut $2.6 million in cap space, handing it straight over to the Coyotes. Calgary now stands at an annual projection of $59 million in cap space for 21 players, a buyout and a capoverage penalty, while Phoenix is now holding onto a projected annual cap hit of $48 million for 20 players and two buyouts.

To me, this looks like a bit of a lateral move, as I don't think either side has really improved a great deal on the ice, of course, against the cap, the Coyotes needed to take on some space, while the Flames would do well to rid themselves of some.  Langkow won't have as much talent to play with, while Stempniak is somewhat overused as a second line winger, when his gritty play is better suited as a third liner. I would say that this deal is a bit of a wash today.