Luca Caputi to replace injured Colby Armstrong
The Toronto Maple Leafs have called up 22-year-old left winger Luca Caputi to replace Colby Armstrong who is out with a injury to a finger on his right hand.
Caputi was a logical choice to be slotted onto the wing of the Leafs' third line because of his physical style of play. His light contract also leaves the team with cap room options as rumours swirl that
Brian Burke is examining offers and looking to shake things up with a big trade.
Since Caputi turned professional as a prospect with the Pittsburgh Penguins he's gotten used to moving from the top club to the farm team, so the promotion doesn't come as a huge surprise.
"Let’s face it, this is not the first time this kind of thing has happened to me," Caputi said. "I’m not a solidified player in the NHL yet. It’s day to day and if you go down (to the Marlies), you go
down with a good attitude and work hard all the time. I think that’s part of what was behind this call-up."
Armstrong underwent an MRI on Wednesday to determine the extent of his injury, but the Leafs have not disclosed whether or not Armstrong fractured the finger, or how long they expect he will be out of
the lineup. What is certain is that he won't be in the lineup Thursday night when the Leafs take on the Boston Bruins.
Caputi played in 19 games last season after coming over to the Leafs. Despite a strong pre-season, Caputi was moved down to the Marlies. There's no indication yet how long he should expect to be up with
the first team; Caputi's goal for the moment is just take advantage of the opportunity and stay positive.
"The biggest thing is staying positive. I did that in Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre (the Penguins’ AHL affiliate), and I’m doing it here with the Leafs and Marlies," Caputi said.
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