The Toronto Maple Leafs have added Vinni Lettieri to their roster, with the veteran centre expected to be officially called up from the Toronto Marlies shortly.
Toronto has been looking for answers in its bottom six and for more finishing touch around the net, and the club appears ready to turn to a familiar Marlies piece for help. While Miles Wood is available, he has not been used, and the Leafs instead moved toward Lettieri as a potential solution.
The roster move surfaced on Sunday, when the Maple Leafs’ roster page showed Lettieri had been added even though the call-up had not yet been made official. That left open the possibility that his promotion could come after the Marlies’ game later in the day.
Lettieri, 31, has been productive for Toronto’s minor-league club since signing with the organization last season. He scored 14 goals and finished with 42 points in 55 games a year ago, then added 11 goals and 26 points during the postseason as the Marlies won the Calder Cup.
He also brings a track record of NHL experience. Across 155 league games with the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers, Lettieri has produced 15 goals and 32 points.
His game is built around a heavy slap shot, and he has been described as a power-play specialist. That makes him a candidate to help on the second power-play unit if the Leafs decide to give him that look, especially with the team in need of another dangerous shot from the bottom six.
There is also a simple logic to why Toronto would choose Lettieri over other options such as Brendan Brisson. He already has NHL mileage, and he has spent two straight seasons being an important part of the Marlies’ success. The reasoning isn’t only about development; it is also about recognizing veterans who have earned an opportunity.
For the past two seasons, Lettieri has given the Marlies steady production and dependable effort. He brings offense, but he also isn’t shy about getting physical or mixing it up with opponents. During last year’s playoff run, he kept the same edge shift after shift, whether the points were there or not.
With things in Toronto getting tougher by the day, the Maple Leafs are trying Lettieri to see whether he can help settle them down and provide some much-needed scoring depth.
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