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Shrapnel – 11/9/11

In case you missed it, last night the Jackets made a move to trade for Pittsburgh C Mark Letestu. We also speculated that this could pave the way towards other changes, though Scott Howson has told the Dispatch this is not a precursor for another trade. Over at Jackets Report, Rob also highlights Letestu’s faceoff ability – something the club has struggled with recently.

Reactions have generally been sarcastic, though I would give PHT points for managing to hit acerb. It’s unsurprising – when the NHL braintrust sees major problems, they expect major moves. Instead, you have only a small visible change, and react accordingly.

Greater adjustments may be ongoing with the anticipated return of Jeff Carter, while Jared Boll’s return to health puts Cody Bass into a battle for a roster spot.

Meanwhile, even as we had a great FanPost looking at the problems in Scott Arniel’s system, the coach has made adjustments to his own game plans. That said, I think the article (and some of the reactions) are misleading. Despite talk that the team will be returning to “Hitch Hockey”, it sounds like the greater focus will be on improving defensive coverage around the net and trying to work higher in the zone offensively – neither of which seem like bad ideas right now. Think less about the neutral zone trap, and more about the Jackets’ last win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Some great news from the Jackets’ front office – according to team publicist Alison Pegg, the team raised $3700 for the CBJ foundation at last night’s celebrity bartending event at R Bar. The team also spent some time visiting the Columbus VA hospital yesterday, and the annual Jackets for Jackets coat drive will kick off at the November 15th game against the Wild.

In “It could be worse” news, the Islanders roll out their new third jerseys next week.

Over at DBJ, Gallos thinks about the capacity to heal as he waits to see what will come next.

In Buffalo, the Sabres gave Ryan Miller a chance to redeem his last outing, but it was still a wild and wooly affair that saw Winnipeg’s Tanner Glass record the Jetssecond Gordie Howe Hat Trick of the season, though Buffalo eventually came out of it with a 6-5 OT win.

In case you haven’t had it rubbed in enough by other NHL fans in your life, Ken Hitchcock won his St. Louis debut last night with a 3-0 shutout of the Blackhawks. On the other hand, the last Blues coach to do that was Mike Keenan, and we all know how well that worked out.

Over at PHT, it looks like Eric Staal is on pace to go for a -94 this season. (Also, the Bring Back Jan Hejda crowd should take note – the article mentions that the “big plus” is currently tied for 680th worst +/- in the league with a -11 so far…)

A nasty hit from Dustin Brown knocked the PredatorsDavid Legwand out of the nightcap last night in LA. On The Forecheck has video of the hit, and it doesn’t seem to have been a dirty play, just a powerful impact when Legwand probably needed to be keeping his head up.

Jeff Little took some time to reflect on the continued silliness over at TMM.

Over at Backhand Shelf, they’re looking at Magnus Paajarvi being scratched, and how that’s a tricky operation with a young talented forward, breaking down a sneaky play by Tyler Seguin in Monday’s BOS/NYI game, and some fun with powerplay numbers.

Puck Daddy is still waiting for Scott Arniel to get fired, and wondering who will be the next man to lost his job after the Columbus bench boss, talking to Loui Eriksson about playing in Dallas, a visual guide to realignment, Nick Johnson may or may not have delivered a headbutt in his scrap with Jarome Iginla, the Predators have rediscovered Lionel Richie, and Dean Lombardi is still pretty frustrated with Dustin Penner.

Finally, to make your heart melt: After reading about a teenage Calgary goaltender who required multiple brain surgeries to correct hydrocephalus, Miikka Kiprusoff sent the bantam player a special gift. (Plus, check out the dude’s mask. That is INSANELY awesome.)