After much speculation, a former Blue Jackets player is on his way back to Columbus – and it's not Rick Nash.
The Columbus Blue Jackets swung a trade to acquire former alternate captain Mark Letestu from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
Letestu, who has spent the last three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, was officially traded to the Nashville Predators minutes prior to their trade with the Blue Jackets. It was a two-part trade. The details are as follows:
| To EDM | F Pontus Aberg |
|---|---|
| To NSH | F Mark Letestu |
Followed by:
| To CBJ | F Mark Letestu |
|---|---|
| To NSH | 2018 4th-round pick |
The Blue Jackets also put forward Jussi Jokinen on waivers – where they acquired him a few weeks ago – presumably to make room for this move.
This is a pretty straightforward move. The Blue Jackets know what Letestu can bring to the table – a bit of skill, great hockey IQ and the ability to improve both special teams units – as he's previously spent four seasons in Columbus. During his previous stint with the Jackets, Letestu put up a 43-55-98 line over 243 games. Letestu was particularly effective during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, where he led the team in goals with 13 in 46 games.
He's been a solid role player in Edmonton over the last three years as well, putting up a career-high 35 points last season. He likely won't surpass that this season, but has eight goals and 11 assists over 60 games.
Funny enough, Letestu's first stint with the Blue Jackets started the same way. Back in November of 2011, acquired him in exchange for a fourth-round pick, that time from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Follow 1st Ohio BatteryFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
