The Blue Jackets don't have many notable unrestricted free agents this summer, but one I think they'd be smart to bring back is forward Mark Letestu.
He didn't have the best season in terms of point production or possession, however, his usage is a big reason why.
Letestu's most frequent linemates this year were Jared Boll and Corey Tropp, the two biggest possession anchors - at least up front - on the team.
With Boll on his line Letestu was a woeful 36.5% possession player at 5 vs 5. With Tropp on his line he was a 32.3% possession player. That's tough to do, but I think it says more about Boll and Tropp than Letestu.
Towards the end of the season Letestu was given the opportunity to center Matt Calvert and Jeremy Morin/Marko Dano on the 4th line, and the results were much better.
With Calvert on his line Letestu drove play while generating 51.2% of the shot attempts. The sample size was relatively small (170 full strength minutes), however, I think that is more indicative of Letestu, and what he is capable of than what his numbers with Boll and Tropp showed.
Letestu is a good penalty killer, can play anywhere in the lineup, and generally is a solid point producer - he averages 33 points per 82 games played over his career - so he's a useful player to have around.
If the Blue Jackets are serious about rolling four skilled lines - as they did towards the end of the season - it would make sense to bring Letestu back.
He has openly said he'd like to return, and he probably wouldn't cost much to re-sign.
If the Blue Jackets retain Letestu's services, they could run Ryan Johansen, Brandon Dubinsky, Alex Wennberg and Letestu down the middle 1-4.
I don't think many teams would be able to match up with that.
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