from Michael Traikos at the Toronto Sun,

Every year, it is the same.

The trade deadline approaches and Lee Stempniak mentally packs his bags and waits for the phone call that will tell him where he’ll be moving next. It’s not that he’s Chicken Little worried that the sky is falling. He’s just realistic.

Stempniak, an 11-year veteran for the New Jersey Devils, has played for eight different teams. He’s been traded four times, including at each of the last two deadlines. He might not be at the level of Mike “Suitcase” Sillinger, who was traded a record nine times, but he’s already got more jerseys than there are days of the week.

“Change is not always bad,” said Stempniak, a pending unrestricted free agent who leads the New Jersey Devils with 41 points in 62 games. “I’ve been through it before three times. I’ve always sort of prepared for it.”

While Stempniak used to get anxious around this time of year, it’s a little different this season. For one, the Devils headed into Friday night’s NHL games one point out of the final wild card spot, meaning they are probably buying rather than selling assets. And more importantly, his wife is not pregnant this time around.

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