Maple Leafs sign Vinni Lettieri to 1-year contract worth $775K

Lettieri spent the past season in the Boston Bruins organization, splitting time between the NHL and AHL squads. He appeared in 26 games with the top team where he recorded five points (three goals and two assists). He spent most of the past season in the AHL with Providence where he put up 50 points (21 goals and 29 assists) in 47 games while adding seven points (three goals and four assists) in eight playoff games.

This signing is likely to fill in the void left behind by Alex Steeves and Nick Abruzzese on the Toronto Marlies as both went elsewhere during free agency. Lettieri has proven to be a productive player in the AHL and should likely end up being among the Marlies’ leading scorers next season. He also has plenty of NHL experience which should allow him to come up and slot into the Leafs’ bottom-six if necessary. It falls in line with the first wave of signings the team made at the start of free agency in Michael Pezzetta, Travis Boyd, Dakota Mermis, and Benoit-Olivier Groulx.

This first wave of additions doesn’t fill the void that Mitch Marner is leaving behind as he leaves for the Vegas Golden Knights, though it is worth noting that GM Brad Treliving told reporters on Tuesday he wants to acquire a top-six forward. This will likely come through the trade route because most of the remaining options are not enough to move the needle, while the top option in Nikolaj Ehlers is likely signing somewhere else.

Originally an undrafted free agent out of the NCAA in 2017, Lettieri joined the New York Rangers organization and then made his NHL debut a year later. He has since established himself as a useful depth piece that has managed to get into at least one NHL game in every season over the past eight years, apart from the 2019-20 campaign.

Across 155 NHL games split between the Rangers, Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild, Lettieri has scored 15 goals and 32 points.