11:05am: Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters including Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now that Lettieri suffered a lower-body injury and won’t be traveling to Toronto for tomorrow’s game after all.
9:15am: The Boston Bruins have added a couple of new faces to the mix just before the break, recalling Jakub Lauko and Vinni Lettieri from the minor leagues. The moves come after they sent Marc McLaughlin and Joona Koppanen down yesterday.
Lauko, 22, was a third-round pick of the Bruins back in 2018 but has barely touched NHL ice in the years since. This season he made his debut and played seven games, still spending most of his time in the minor leagues with Providence. The young forward had two points during his previous stint.
Lettieri, meanwhile, has been right on the fringe of the NHL since signing with the New York Rangers out of the University of Minnesota in 2017. With 82 career games under his belt – including 31 last season – he brings a little more experience to the bottom of the roster.
Through 41 games this season for Providence, Lettieri has 16 goals and 37 points, once again proving he can be a high-level player in the minor leagues. Whether he can translate any of that production to the NHL remains to be seen.
Showcasing talent for an impending trade? Or just cycling in fresh talent for their last game before the All-Star break so some stars can get an additional breather. On a 3-game skid it’s probably immaterial if they lose to Toronto on Wednesday, so it’s a low-risk move.