The New York Rangers are fighting the injury bug and are calling on a familiar face to help round out the lineup.
The New York Rangers are recalling forward Vinni Lettieri from Hartford according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
Lettieri will rejoin Rangers on recall from Hartford.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) November 30, 2018
Lettieri has appeared in 14 games this season for the Blueshirts but, was sent down to Hartford after a few inconsistent stretches. In his brief time this season, the 23-year-old failed to record a point and has just five points in 33 career games.
He made the team out of training camp where he did nothing but open the eyes of everyone on the Blueshirts coaching staff. Despite the strong training camp, Lettieri was unable to find success with the big club in the NHL. His best attribute is his shot and quite frankly he did not use it as often as the coaching staff would have liked.
With the Rangers battling a heavy dose of the injury bug, it was only a matter of time before they recalled Lettieri. Vladislav Namestnikov is still going through concussion protocol, while Mats Zuccarello and Pavel Buchnevich remain out for the foreseeable future.
Head coach David Quinn dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the Blueshirts’ 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators Thursday, and with back-to-back games this weekend, the team felt it was important to run a traditional lineup.
Look for Lettieri to slot in on the wing for the Blueshirts on the fourth line with Steven Fogarty and Tim Gettinger.
In other Rangers news, Quinn tweaked some of his lines after the Blueshirts were shutout Thursday. He reunited Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, and Filip Chytil while putting a line of Jimmy Vesey, Mika Zibanejad, and Jesper Fast together. Lias Andersson skated on a line with Brett Howden and Ryan Strome.
The Rangers will look to win their first road game since Nov. 10 when they take on the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night.
