When it was announced yesterday that Maple Leafs center John Tavares was out week-to-week, a recall from the minors was expected. That recall is center Vinni Lettieri, who has been recalled from AHL Toronto, per the NHL’s Media Site.
The 31-year-old is in his second season with the Maple Leafs but has yet to make his first appearance with them. Instead, he has played exclusively with the Marlies as one of their top offensive players while making a one-way salary. He’s off to a strong start to his 2026-27 season, tallying three goals and six assists through his first five appearances to earn this promotion.
Lettieri has seen NHL action in parts of seven seasons with four different teams so far in his career. His best season came in 2023-24 with Minnesota when he got into 46 games, collecting five goals and four assists. Over those seven years, he has 15 goals and 17 helpers in 155 appearances.
Lettieri’s recall gives Toronto 13 healthy forwards on its active roster with still one roster spot available after Tavares was moved to injured reserve today. That will likely change over the next couple of days with Dakota Joshua’s LTIR conditioning loan set to end early next week. Adding him back to the active roster could be enough insurance for Lettieri’s recall to only be a short-term one although they have the cap and roster space to have both around.