draft line claeaning

Hi All! New to the forum, hoping some of you can share some wisdom. I am hoping to change a rather dirty draft line and I encountered an issue when taking apart the kegerator coupler. Please see the attached photos. Can anyone tell me if that cinched piece of metal is closing the tube down...

I have seen pictures here somewhere of draft lines jumpered to recirculate line cleaner. How is the physical connection to the faucet connector made? Are there connectors/adapters available to connect a line between two draft lines with faucets removed?