Youre forgiven if most of your trade deadline attention was focused on the Canadian capital. TheSenators held the most intrigue leading up to 3 p.m. ET on Monday, . For all of the rumor and speculation thats been thrown around feuds with management, unhappine s with the teams direction, among other things the Senators werent under any pre sure to get a deal done now. GM Pierre Dorion simply said the market wasnt there to make what he considered a franchise deal for their franchise player. Its now going to drag into the summer, but typically, the larger deals are consummated near the draft anyway. MORE: While the spotlight was on Ottawa, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen quietly went to work on a productive and cost-effective trade deadline for his sputtering team. Columbus, entering Mondays slate of games, sat two points up on the Islanders and Hurricanes and five points up on the Panthers (but Florida hadfour games in hand) they needed some kind of a jolt. Kekalainens body of work wont come equipped with headlines and a ton of excitement, but he managed to plug some key holes for the Blue Jackets and give them a better chance to compete down the stretch. Given the dog fight theyre in, theyll need every bit they can get. It startedSunday afternoon with the acquisition of Mark Letestu, a versatile veteran who cut his teeth in Columbus over four seasons, Andrew Benintendi Jersey as he told the media after the trade. It was tough for both sides to part via free agency in 2015, but Letestu is back for another playoff run with the Blue Jackets and it cost them a fourth-round pick. No harm, no foul, and Letestus ability to chip in on both special teams units is key. And when Kekalainen struck a deal with Dorion for Ian Cole on Monday morning the first trade of deadline day it certainly appeared as though Jack Johnson would be next to go. It didnt turn out that way, and now, John Tortorella has plenty of options (up to 10 NHL defensemen when theyre at full capacity) as he puts his lineup together. GRADES: Tortorella said he spoke with Mike Sullivan, his own friend and Coles former coach in Pittsburgh, to get a feel forwhat his newest defenseman brings. Hes a competitor and has a little pedigree of winning a couple Stanley Cups here and I think he has some personality too. Hes a good addition for us, Tortorella said. The Blue Jackets power play has been their Achilles' heel all season, and its gotten to the point where Tortorella wont even talk about it. Theyve been better since the All-Star break after a woeful start, but the Letestu and Thomas Vanek trades seem to point in that direction: getting offensive-minded guys in there who have experience, and Vanek will likely get a shot at the net-front. We want to give our team the best po sible chance to make the playoffs,"Kekalainensaid. Thats the goal. Adding the veterans we added (this weekend and Monday) will give us a better chance. We like our team right now. As far as unresolved busine s, the Blue Jackets werent able to moveJohnson, . Theyll keep him as an own rental, Kekalainen said, and be part of whats now a deeper group of defensemen. With six weeks to go and a slim cushion on a playoff spot, the Blue Jackets needed some external help at the deadline. They got it, and in the proce s, their GM was able to keep his high picks and maintain his current roster. Not a bad day of work. Jeff Keppinger Jersey