New York Rangers: What will the Rangers do with Vinni Lettieri?
With so many moving pieces surrounding the New York Rangers one piece from the University of Minnesota has been lost in the shuffle. What will happen with Vinni Lettieri?
The Rangers roster will look like *insert names here*. That is essentially what the team looks like heading in to next season. There are a handful of players who are locks and another handful of players who people hope are on the squad. Besides that, everything is up in the air. That means players who started last season may not make it. It also means there is room for young players who are afterthoughts to make a strong impression.
Either way you look at it, it is an exciting time for New York because of the uncertainty. The opening night lineup could look completely different than all early predictions we have seen thus far. One of the players who doesn’t seem to fit any where right now is Vinni Lettieri. The winger saw 19 games of action in the NHL last season and was a main stay in the AHL.
At least from the outside looking in, it doesn’t appear that Lettieri has a spot on the team. That certainly could change, but for the time being he is on the outside looking in.
Related Story: McLeod Inks One Year Deal
Is there a spot for Lettieri next season? And if so, what role will he fill on the Rangers?
Role Player
The first question for the Rangers is IF Lettieri makes the team, what will his role be for New York. The obvious answer is a fourth liner with third line upside. In the AHL, Lettieri has shown a knack for being able to score. He led the Wolfpack last season with 23 goals in just 55 games. He was third on the team in points with 36.
With the Rangers the success wasn’t nearly as fruitful. Lettieri managed just one goal and five points in the 19 games he spent at the NHL level. Still he was able to show some of what made him such a dangerous scorer in the AHL level. He certainly fits the mold of what the new wave bottom six forward looks like. He plays a simple game, has some noticeable grit and has plus skill.
The Rangers have had some of the better third and fourth lines-particularly fourth lines-over the last five or six seasons. If he continues to develop I could see Lettieri forging a place for himself at the NHL level on the Rangers fourth line. Like many of the Rangers who have a chance to crack the lineup, Lettieri is young and still looking to prove that he can be a productive NHL player.
Related Story: Don't Think About Pacioretty
Will he make it?
I think Lettieri is very borderline to make the team or not. Currently I see him sitting just outside of the starting 12 forwards. He may be slightly more polished than some players New York will try at the beginning of the season, but what will hold him back is his upside. Despite scoring the 23 goals last season, Lettieri doesn’t look like he will develop in to a big time goal scorer at the NHL level.
I would peg Lettieri for 10-12 goals a season sitting in a modified role as either a third or fourth liner. Especially on this Rangers team who already has their sights set on the players who will likely play a big role in the teams rebuild, Lettieri simply doesn’t fit in. I don’t believe that Lettieri will find himself on the starting roster to begin the season. Rather, I see him starting the year in Hartford.
Lettieri figures to be one of the players who the Rangers will bring back and forth from the minors to the bigs if needed. He offers a sense of calm because you know mostly what you will get. That is however, what Lettieri won’t play a huge role on the team next season and likely in the rebuild. The Rangers are searching for dynamic talents and the winger just doesn’t fit that mold.