Three Maple Leafs Players Surprisingly Hit Waivers Ahead of Roster Cuts
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs shockingly placed Vinni Lettieri, Travis Boyd, and Bo Groulx on waivers as the team tries to thin their roster ahead of the regular season.
As Craig Berube and Brad Treliving try to thin the herd before the regular season, they have decided that the waiver wire is the best course of action for three players.
It was announced that the team had placed forwards Vinni Lettieri, Travis Boyd, and Bo Groulx on waivers, meaning that NHL teams have 24 hours to pick them up before they are assigned to the Marlies or otherwise potentially terminated.
Why the Maple Leafs Chose These Three Players for Waivers
All three men appeared at various times this preseason, although it was more than likely their spot was more of a fit as veteran experience for a young Marlies team.
The trio joins a slew of other players who were placed on waivers Saturday, including TJ Tynan and Jack Rathbone.
It's also to note that other teams like Colorado, Edmonton, and even Columbus seem fairly set in their lineup come October, and they would rather cut players now to give them time as opposed to leave them scrambling.
What This Waiver Move Signals About Toronto's Final Roster Picture
All three players signed one-year deals this past offseason as a way to add some much needed depth to the roster, and it created a bit of a logjam up front so their departures were a necessary evil.
Lettieri, 30, had five points in 26 games for the Bruins last year (3 goals, 2 assists) and has been a depth player much of his career, with only 32 points in 155 games with New York (Rangers), Anaheim, Boston, and Minnesota.
Boyd, 32, is an eight year veteran of the league who has spent time with Arizona, Washington, Toronto, Vancouver and Minnesota; he has fared a little better than Lettieri with 118 points in 299 games (47 goals, 71 assists).
Groulx, 25, has potentially the most promise at all being a former second round pick and still so young. He has five points in 65 games so far in his career and is one of the only French-born players in the AHL/NHL with Alexandre Texier.
It remains to be seen if any of these three players are picked up by other clubs, and it's clear that Toronto has some more work to do to clear out some names, but so far they've gotten a pretty big head start.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 27 | 1050 ANSWERS Three Maple Leafs Players Surprisingly Hit Waivers Ahead of Roster Cuts Do you think Toronto is going to call-up any of the three waived players this upcoming season? | ||
| Yes | 452 | 43 % |
| No | 598 | 57 % |
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