NHL Free Agency: Lee Stempniak signs two-year deal with Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that they have signed free agent forward Lee Stempniak to a two-year deal worth $2.5 million a year.
Quietly, the Carolina Hurricanes have been having a very impressive offseason. It continues as they have announced that they have signed journeyman forward Lee Stempniak, who will now be joining the 10th NHL team of his career.
From NHL.com:
"Stempniak, 33, netted 19 goals and added 33 assists (51 points) and was plus-3 in 82 games with the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins in 2015-16. A fifth-round selection by St. Louis in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the West Seneca, NY, native has scored 184 goals and earned 236 assists (420 points) in 790 career NHL games."
Stempniak has played for 10 teams, but that certainly doesn’t mean that he is not a desired player. He is a very good one who is a bit underrated. Stempniak doesn’t fill out the score sheet like most players or jump out at you when he’s on the ice. All he does is give his team solid production.
In 790 career games, he has 184 goals and 420 points. Stempniak is a solid second or third line wing who has a very high hockey IQ. That allows him to be productive despite not being the fastest, biggest, or most skilled forward on the ice. Carolina needs reliable offense if they are going to make a playoff run and that’s precisely what they’re getting in Stempniak.
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