Stempniak: Trade was a welcome change

Lee Stempniak has been set loose, like a man escaping prison after years of purgatory. After every goal he scores for the Coyotes, I picture Andy Dufresne raising his arms to the sky in the pouring rain after slogging 300 yards through filth to freedom.

Since being traded to the Coyotes, Stempniak has 13 goals and 16 points in 14 games, with an outlandish 30% shooting percentage. He’s been named the NHL’s player of the month for March, and has become an integral part of the Coyotes’ improbable push for the top seed in the West. His plus-7 rating is what is most impressive, by far the best of his career.

It’s the perfect example of a new environment and a new team freeing a frustrated player.

“I think (being traded) was a welcome change,” Stempniak said Friday after a Coyotes practice. “I certainly wasn’t ready to give up on being in Toronto or quit on that team. ... To come to a team like this was really, really exciting. It’s a good team and a fresh start, and I’ve been fortunate to have some success and find chemistry.”

At 27 goals, Stempniak has tied his career high for a season and has five games to add to that total. It’s not just scoring goals though, coach Dave Tippett says.

“He’s been tremendous. ... He’s meshed very well with our guys. He’s kind of a quiet personality, which is not bad having a quiet personality and carrying a big stick.”

I’m sure being a quiet guy, an underwhelming personality of sorts, fits much better in Tippett’s locker room in Phoenix. The pressure in Toronto is tremendous, and making a move to a team like Phoenix can really free a player up to just focus on what he does best: play hockey. Ask Mike Ribeiro how that’s worked out for him.

Stempniak’s story -- along with the Coyotes -- is certainly one of the highlights of the season. Who would have even contemplated a sentence like that six months ago?