ROUGH RETURN HOME
Oilers fall to Islanders at Rogers Place
Most third-line centres in the NHL would be pretty happy with Mark Letestu’s numbers.
Thirteen goals and 30 points. Eight power-play snipes. A teamleading six game-winners and two shorties. Shooting percentage of 13.7. Just over 50 per cent in the faceoff dot.
How many of those thirdline centres would be happy as fourth-line centres, which is where Letestu lines up? Hard to say. He doesn’t worry about his place on the Oilers’ depth chart, because it has been far more theoretical than practical this season. Though he’s averaging 14:10 in ice time per night, in 16 of his 62 games he has played at least 15 minutes and topped out at more than 20 on two occasions, buoyed by special teams time.
In one December stretch of 12 games, head coach Todd McLellan kept throwing Letestu onto the ice and the 32-year-old put up 11 points while averaging about 16:45 in ice time per night.
Those are most definitely not fourth-line statistics. And there are good explanations for the year he’s having, the responsibility he’s being given and his contentment.
“A lot of the numbers that people get focused on, a lot of mine has been done on special teams,” Letestu said before the Oilers squared off against the New York Islanders at Rogers Place on Tuesday. "And that’s kind of what my role is this year, or where I fit, is that fourth-line centre who contributes a lot on both sides of special teams.
“Do I think that the rest of the year (the lines) will go one, two, three, four just like we are? Probably not with the way Todd likes to shuffle. I’m sure if I’m going one night, I’ll move up or my line will play more.
“But where I sit, I have no issue with bumping down to make room for David (Desharnais) on this team.”
Saturday’s game against Detroit was Desharnais’ first with the Oilers since coming over from Montreal in a deal for defenceman Brandon Davidson.
A day after making the trade, Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli said Desharnais was going to be the team’s third-line centre. Case closed. And sure enough, Desharnais skated with Drake Caggiula and Zack Kassian against the Wings. But he played 14:28, 20 seconds less than Letestu.
The discrepancy relates to Letestu’s role as the team’s only right-handed centreman and its premier special teams specialist. He went 6-for-9 on the dot to win 67 per cent of his faceoffs and was on the power play for 2:19 against Detroit, while Desharnais saw just 32 seconds with the man advantage and lost nine of 11 draws.
Over the next month, with the Oilers in a stretch drive to the playoffs, Letestu’s role could conceivably grow. He’s one of a few forwards who has played meaningful hockey at this time of year.
“I’m prepared for it to change,” said Letestu, whose 17 playoff games came with Pittsburgh and Columbus. “Whether it does or not will probably have a bearing on our health and the play of some guys. But I’m certainly ready for it to change. My situation has been pretty fluid since I’ve been here, up and down the lineup.
“There’s going to be a lot of different hats for me to wear down the stretch and into the playoffs. I’ve just got to be ready for anything.”
He has handled his unique role and is ready for more in part because he’s been healthy all year. As well, last year’s personal and team disappointments are long forgotten.
“I feel like myself again, hitting the marks that I have come to expect and my coaching staff expects of me. So for me, this doesn’t feel foreign. It just feels like what I’m supposed to do.”
Is a fourth-liner supposed to see prime power-play time? Not usually. Is he supposed to lead the team in game-winners? Not likely. Is he supposed to have the best one-timer on the team? Uh, no.
“When you talk about a skill set, I think I do everything OK,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything that jumps off the page and says he’s got this elite release or anything. I think I’ve just been able to use a moderate tool bag and make the most of it, but the shot is something that has propelled me to some pretty good numbers this year.”
Prior to Tuesday’s game, his 30 points put him in the top six forwards on 19 of the other 29 NHL teams and inside the top eight on all of them. He was one goal and four points off career highs of 14 and 34 with 17 games to play. So yeah, pretty good.
“He’s done a tremendous job of taking the opportunity he’s been given and running with it,” McLellan said of Letestu. “Other players get that opportunity and sometimes it happens for a short period, then they kind of give it up to the next guy. Test is not that way. He’s been good all year in any situation and, again, we’re lucky to have him.”