The Return of Letestu

The Blue Jackets have looked at multiple options to bolster their fourth line this season and will turn to a familiar face next.
Columbus re-acquired veteran center Mark Letestu from the Nashville Predators on Sunday in exchange for the Blue Jackets' fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, which was the second time Letestu, 33, was traded Sunday.
The Edmonton Oilers sent his rights to Nashville earlier in the day, after he tallied 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 60 games for Edmonton this season - including a goal and assist in the Oilers' victory against Columbus on Dec. 12 at Nationwide Arena.
"It's been a bit of a whirlwind this morning, kind of waking up to general managers calling you," Letestu told BlueJackets.com Sunday. "It's been an exciting morning, that's for sure. I've been getting a lot of phone calls, a lot of text messages and fielding a lot of information all at once, but if you could pick a spot where I knew I was going to be comfortable - and that's just knowing the staff, the people around the team, the city - there's no more perfect town for me than this one."

Letestu, who played four seasons with the Blue Jackets (2011-15) and owns a home in Columbus, centered the Oilers' fourth line this season. He'll likely get a chance to do the same on the Jackets' fourth line, which has averaged less than 10 minutes a game.
The hope is to give that line a boost, so that coach John Tortorella uses it more often.

"We miss that," Tortorella said, after practice Sunday at Nationwide Arena. "And I have to take a little responsibility there, too, in my lack of trust. I do think we need to play four lines. I talk about energy, I talk about bite and I need to play four lines. Maybe getting Letestu solidifies things and maybe I feel more comfortable. I certainly have to work in my mind to play four lines more. I want it to be more of a flow, offensively, for us."
Adding Letestu, for a mid-round draft pick, certainly looks like a good bet.
He's experienced as a checking-line center, has some skill on the offensive end, can play both special teams and is good in the face-off circle, winning 53.5 percent of his draws this season and more than 50 percent in all nine of his NHL seasons.
"I think he'll help in a lot of areas," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "He's a good specialty-teams player, he's a good penalty killer, he can play on the power play, he's a solid defensive player. He's also good on face-offs. [He] gives us a right-handed center that we don't have, which is sometimes a tough matchup for left-handers at the face-off dot. He's like 54 percent this year, and he's a solid veteran. He's a leader, as well."

Letestu also has experience being a veteran presence in a young locker room, after doing it during his previous time in Columbus and with the Oilers.
"I think with the qualities that I bring, I do fit there and I know what I am," he said. "I know what kind of player, what my strengths are, my weaknesses … I know what I can bring, and I think the management team there knows it, as well. I think that's why they brought me back, because they see a need and a fit."
Letestu, who was in southern California with the Oilers at the time of the trade, planned to arrive in Columbus on Sunday evening. He would like to play against the Washington Capitals on Monday at Nationwide Arena (7 p.m., Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Go, 97.1 FM), but immigration issues must be cleared up first.
In the meantime, he can catch up with Blue Jackets players who were teammates with him previously in Columbus. They're happy he's coming back too.
"It's great," forward Matt Calvert said. "I thought he was a real leader around this locker room, and when he went, it was tough to see him go. I know he owns a house here, so Columbus is home. I'm sure him and his family are pretty pumped about it. I still keep in touch with him, as much as you can with people on other teams. You kind of drift away, but he's a great guy, a salt-of-the earth guy. He's one of those guys that can do everything on the ice, too, so it's a good guy to have back."
Once he's officially back on the ice with the Jackets, Letestu will jump right into a tight race for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Waking up Sunday, the Blue Jackets held a slim two-point cushion for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, with three teams within striking distance.
Columbus has 20 games left to secure a spot and Letestu is looking forward to the stretch run.
"I know they're in the fight," he said. "It's a tight division and I'm excited to be a part of what they've been building. I'm just excited to be a part of the playoff push again. That seems to be the time of the season when the best parts of my game come out, and I'm excited to wear that blue again."
There's a chance he might continue wearing it past this season, as well.
Letestu might be seen as a rental type of player, as a pending unrestricted free agent, but his usefulness as a multi-faceted player, his history with the Blue Jackets and his desire to live in Columbus might all wind up in him signing a contract extension to stay put.
"I think we know him pretty well, but I think this will give us a good chance to see how he fits in today and into the future plans," Kekalainen said. "I wouldn't rule any of that out. The focus right now is to try to make the playoffs this year, and then we'll worry about the future after that."
Letestu will push that situation off, too, but left no doubt about his - and his family's - feelings for Columbus and why they opted to settle in the area.
"It didn't really have any kind of hockey decision to it," he said. "Columbus is our home. That's where two of my children were born. We have a great network of friends and people outside of hockey, and it's just a city we kind of fell in love with … to be able to go back there now, for however long they'll let me stay, I think it's a very luck coincidence."