Son of former Leafs captain is now under contract with Toronto

Rick Vaive was a major ice stud for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the height of his career. He spent eight years with the team, four of them as the captain. He is probably best known for being the first of the franchise to record a 50-goal season, often taking third in the league during the regular season, outdone by Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky.

His son, however, has not made a major presence in the NHL, getting drafted in the fourth round in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. After some time playing in college, he made a career for himself in the ECHL, spending most years as the captain for the Cincinnati Cyclones.

Now, after years with Cincinnati, Justin Vaive finally gets to connect with the NHL team his father had his longest tenure with. The Cincinnati Cyclones served as the ECHL affiliate to the New York Rangers, but have now replaced the Newfoundland Growlers in a new affiliation agreement with the Toronto Maple Leafs. GM Brad Treliving stated his excitement to work with a new set of players to potentially develop further up the ladder.

Justin Vavie is 35 years old and already booked as the Cincinnati Cyclones captain, so his chances of playing directly for the Toronto Maple Leafs are slim to none. Yet, now that both teams are contractually affiliated, it is undoubtedly an exciting honor to play connected to the same team your father played for.,

Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Good news for son of former Maple Leafs captain Rick Vaive