By Perry Lefko, Sportsnet.ca

Veteran kicker Mike Vanderjagt is coming back to the Canadian Football League to re-join the Toronto Argonauts, with whom he played for in 1996 and ’97 before leaving to play in the National Football League, multiple sources close to the player confirmed to Sportsnet.ca

"He’s delighted to be back here, he’s ecstatic," one of the sources said.

"He’s a football player and he wants to play," said another.

He’s expected to be in Toronto on Saturday to sign a contract and may be on the field for the first day of the team’s full training camp on Sunday or Monday, pending a physical which he must pass. It is not expected to be an issue.

The Argos have traded dual-purpose kicker Noel Prefontaine, who took over from Vanderjagt in 1998 and became the pre-eminent punter/place-kickers in the Canadian Football League, to Edmonton. He will replace the retired Sean Fleming.

The transaction is expected to involve at least a first-round selection in next year’s Canadian draft.

One source said the Argos had been actively talking to other teams about trading for Prefontaine for at least three weeks and were seeking a starting Canadian player in return, knowing they were giving up a significant player in return.

Prefontaine had some injury problems last year, specifically a concussion, after he was knocked silly on a blocked punt in the first game of the season and felt the effects for several months afterward. He was also plagued by an injured right knee, but played through the injury, The combination of all those things resulted in an off year for Prefontaine

Vanderjagt, who punted and place-kicked in the CFL but only did field-goal duties in the NFL, worked with a special kicking coach in Phoenix whom he hired to help him adjust back to punting, knowing he would likely be coming back to the CFL and punt. He’ll be doing both for Toronto.

"It is the right situation," the source said. "He loved playing in the CFL and the Argos. He knows (chief executive officer) Pinball(Clemons) and (linebacker) Mike O’Shea.

"He’s always dreamed of coming back to the Argos. He loves the Argos," said another source.

Clemons has been involving in the talks to bring back Vanderjagt, a source said.

Vanderjagt still owns a home in the Burlington area and it has been on the market for some time for what is believed to be a price of some $5 million.

A source said the Argos initiated talks with Vanderjagt more than two months ago.

He played for Indianapolis from 1998-2005, during which time he became the most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history. In 2003, he connected on all 37 attempts and set a record with 42 successful attempts before he missed. He joined Dallas in 2006, receiving a $2.5 million signing bonus as part of a non-guaranteed $5.4 million contract spread over three years, but was released midway in the year. Overall he has a record of 230 successful field goals in 266 attempts for an average of 86.5%.

While successful in the regular season, Vanderjagt had some noticeable misses in the playoffs. He also found himself embroiled in controversies for making remarks about his teammates.

The 38-year-old Oakville native had work outs with NFL teams in the off-season, including Denver and Kansas City.

One source said Vanderjagt is not coming to the CFL as a means to get back to the NFL.

Vanderjagt had opportunities to sign with CFL last year, but rejected them. He is coming back mainly because of Toronto, which gave him a chance to resurrect his stagnant career in 1996. He had been in the Arena League before that and had been cut by the Argos in 1995.