Pride taken in killing penalties

Hendricks and Boyd Gordon were at the core of the Oilers’ checking line/ penalty kill last season, but Gordon was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Lauri Korpikoski.

Enter Letestu, who was signed to a three-year freeagent contract that brought him back to Alberta. Raised in Elk Point, the 30-year-old spent the better part of the previous four seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and his last four off-seasons in Edmonton.

“I think I’m settled in, as much as I can be at this point,” he said. “At times, it still seems strange seeing yourself, in the clips with the coaches, in orange and blue, but that will come with time.

“I think right now the adjustment to the systems is probably the part I’ve grasped the quickest, just because there’s been a lot of similar language and similar structure to how we played in Columbus.

“Since I’ve been here (Hendricks and I) have been attached to the hip,” he continued, “and I do think both of us have the same expectations ... The penalty kill is kind of our lifeblood in this game and we both take pride in it, and pride in what the fourth line can provide, so it’s easy to play with guys like that. It’s easy to develop chemistry.”

Hendricks said while Letestu isn’t nearly as vocal on the ice as Gordon was, there are a lot of similarities, which has made the transition almost seamless.

“Very similar players,” Hendricks said. “Their respect for the game and how badly they want to defend, how badly they want to contribute to winning hockey is very similar; (and) there’s a simplicity to the game that we both play.

“We’re trying to get pucks to the net, we’re trying to get pucks down low in the offensive zone. We have the belief that our best defensive game is keeping them hemmed in their zone as long as we can. And we’ve found some good chemistry on the penalty kill.

“We like our role as far as providing energy,” Letestu said. “We know where we fit, we believe as a line we can still produce and chip in with some goals. It’s not just defer to the top three lines, so we think we can contribute so in that sense.

“There’s always ways to earn more.”