On the surface, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s decision to return forwards Joona Koppanen and Marc McLaughlin to AHL Providence on Monday seemed like nothing more than procedural.

Barring Jake DeBrusk jumping his own timeline — and the release confirming the moves down to Providence for Koppanen and McLaughlin did not come with a corresponding announcement regarding DeBrusk’s status — the Bruins were officially without enough forwards to ice a full 12-forward unit. It was hard to imagine the Bruins rolling with such a look ahead of their Wednesday night showdown with the Maple Leafs up in Toronto.

But it appears that the Bruins, who are on their first three-game losing streak of the season, are instead going for a full-on injection of new blood and fresh legs, with Jakub Lauko and Vinni Lettieri recalled from Providence.

Word of the recalls for Lauko and Lettieri was first reported by Mark Allred of Black N’ Gold Productions.

• The #NHLBruins have recalled forwards Jakub Lauko and Vinni Lettieri from the Providence Bruins.
  
  Lettieri a 27YO veteran leads Providence with 16-21-37 in 41GP.
  Vinni has 5-6-11 in his last 10GP.
  
  Lauko has 8-6-14 numbers in 29GP.
  Jakub has 5-5-10 in his last 12GP.

  — Mark Allred (@BlackAndGold277) January 31, 2023

• In what is the first recall of his Bruins career, Lettieri will join the Big B’s in the midst of an AHL campaign that’s come with a Providence-leading 16 goals and 37 points through 41 games played.

  Lettieri’s 16 goals have a four-goal edge over second-leading scorer Justin Brazeau, while Lettieri’s 37 points on the year give him an 11-point cushion over Georgii Merkulov in the No. 2 spot on the point leaderboard.

  Lettieri’s 37 points also rank 23rd among all AHLers this season, and had him set up to represent Providence in the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic up in Quebec along with goaltender Brandon Bussi.

• 

  NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 05: Vinni Lettieri #95 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on October 05, 2022 in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

• The 27-year-old Lettieri, who can play both center and wing, did not record a point during his three-game preseason run with the B’s last fall, but his 12 hits did rank second among all Boston skaters.

  A veteran of 82 career NHL games between the Rangers and Ducks, Lettieri’s longest NHL look came last season, as he put up five goals and 10 points in a 31-game run with Anaheim.

  The Minnesota-born Lettieri has totaled seven goals and 18 points, along with 112 hits and 35 blocked shots, while averaging 11:39 per game over his 82-game NHL run.

• 

  BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 16: Jakub Lauko #94 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the first period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on September 16, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Lauko, meanwhile, will return to Boston after the Czech-born winger found himself on the wrong end of a numbers game back in November upon Charlie McAvoy’s return to action.

  The Bruins made it clear to Lauko that that return to Providence had almost nothing to do with his play, and Lauko clearly didn’t let the ‘demotion’ hurt his confidence, as he’ll return to Boston with a career-high eight goals and plus-11 through 29 games with Providence this season.

  Lauko has five goals and 10 points over his last 12 AHL games dating back to Dec. 31.

• FIRST NHL GOAL FOR JAKUB LAUKO!!! #NHLBruins @jakub_lauko pic.twitter.com/2UYXQZE9T5

  — Marina Maher (@marinakmaher) November 2, 2022

• While in Boston before that November assignment to Providence, Lauko proved to be a energy-generating forward on Jim Montgomery’s bottom-six grouping, and scored one goal and added an assist in seven games.

  The speedy Lauko also managed to thrive as an agitator of sorts (it was more speed and an annoying level of competitiveness for flat-footed defensemen than it was running at you with a glove smashed into your mouth), with three penalties drawn over his seven-game run with the Bruins.

  The Bruins will practice Tuesday morning at Warrior Ice Arena before departing for Toronto for a Wednesday night showdown with the Maple Leafs. It will be the Black and Gold’s final game before the All-Star break.

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