Gost should have changed his...
I like to think he kept it as motivation and a slight, F U, that he should've been on the team that first year from the beginning and given a real number then. After they stuck him with 53, he kept it out of spite. That's why Hakstol is always so ready to bench him. Hakstol thinks he's still a fringe young guy on a camp try out whom has to learn the fundamentals of the NHL game. IF Ghost wore a number less than say, #30, he'd be a roster mainstay.
Also, it could be that Ghost wears 53 because he is so small, and slight, that by wearing a high number as such, his sweater is just a bit heavier, since Hakstol prefers heavier players. The blockness of 53 also makes his small frame appear wider.
