COLUMBUS, Ohio - Last July 1, Fedor Tyutin and his wife celebrated the birth of their first child, Leeza. The next day, the Russian defenseman - who was drafted by the Rangers in the second round in 2001, played 250 games for them and agreed to a long-term contract extension in February - was shipped to the Blue Jackets along with defenseman Christian Backman for wingers Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche.

"Sure, it was a shock, a surprise, being traded for the first time," Tyutin, 25, said Friday. "It's different ... But I still do what I love to do, play hockey."

And he's receiving more ice time, 23:34 a game, with Czech partner Rostislav Klesla.

"He played maybe the last 30 seconds on the power play last year," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said. "He gets more time here in every situation. He does things under stress that we've not had players be able to do here, which has really helped us. He's able to make plays in his own zone under composure."

Reflecting on the motives behind the trade, Hitchcock said: "We were lucky. The one depth position we had was right wing, with [Derek] Dorsett and [Jakub] Voracek and [Jared] Boll, we had young players. When we lost the [free-agent] bids on a couple defensemen, it put us behind the eight-ball."

Tyutin, who never blossomed into an offensive force with the Rangers, relishes the challenge. "They know and I know I can always play better. I have the potential to grow every day," said Tyutin, who still wears No. 51 and is signed through the 2011-12 season at an average of $2.85 million. He has two assists in six games and leads the team in blocked shots with 19.

During the morning skate, Tyutin stopped at the bench to greet Rangers assistant coach Mike Pelino and had a few words with his former coach, Tom Renney. "Hasn't changed," Renney said. "He's a good kid."

Afterward, he revived acquaintances with New York writers and broadcasters, high-fived Michal Rozsival and Brandon Dubinsky and chatted in Russian with Zherdev and Dmitri Kalinin. Said Tyutin, "It's like a day for old friends."