Mark Letestu has been a useful bottom-six center around the league in recent years but has yet to be signed for next season. Here is a closer look at his situation.
The 33-year-old started off last season with the Oilers and while he fell short of his point per game average from the year before, he was still relatively productive given his role with 19 points in 60 games. That resulted in some trade interest before the deadline and he was flipped to Columbus.
With the Blue Jackets, he didn’t fare as well. He was used solely as a fourth line faceoff specialist which resulted in his output dropping considerably with just four points in 19 games. His playing time was slashed by more than three minutes per night in the postseason and he was fairly quiet overall. There’s a good chance that this has affected his market so far.
Despite that, as someone who has averaged better than 50% at the faceoff dot throughout his career, Letestu should attract some interest as a specialist while as much as he didn’t light it up with Columbus, he has been a decent point producer in previous years. That’s likely the argument that his representatives are making in negotiations.
Potential Suitors
Center depth is something that contenders often look to acquire at the trade deadline but it wouldn’t be surprising for some rebuilding teams to show some interest as well. In those cases, the team would want Letestu to serve as a bridge for a youngster that isn’t quite ready yet and then look to flip him at the deadline.
In the East, while Carolina added Jordan Martinook when they dealt Marcus Kruger earlier this offseason, he’s better utilized on the wing which could make an opening for Letestu. He’d also serve as insurance if youngster Martin Necas struggles in training camp. The Flyers were looking for a third line center earlier in free agency but they may look to fill that role internally. Washington should have some room to work with to upgrade their bottom six and their center depth behind their top three options is somewhat limited. Toronto is believed to be high on Par Lindholm for their fourth line spot but they could certainly look to Letestu to add some competition for that position.
The options aren’t quite as plentiful out West. San Jose has cap room to work with and could use him on their fourth line. Anaheim added Carter Rowney earlier this summer but Letestu would be an upgrade over him; Ducks GM Bob Murray is known to tinker with his fourth line midseason so this would represent an opportunity to improve beforehand. Chicago now has cap space but the return of Kruger doesn’t really leave room for Letestu to work with. We had originally projected Calgary to sign him but they added Derek Ryan in free agency as well as Austin Czarnik, who has played center at times as well so there isn’t a great fit there now either.
Projected Contract
Letestu ranked 40th on our Top 50 UFA list and had a projected one-year, $1.75MM contract. It’s hard to envision him getting that amount now that most of the comparable depth centers have gone elsewhere and there aren’t a lot of vacancies left. However, he’s not in a situation where he should have to settle for close to the league minimum either given his track record. Something in the middle (between $1MM and $1.25MM) now appears to be a more likely outcome at this time.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mark needs to sign for 650K with Columbus or else he’s going to be playing in Switzerland.