Boston Bruins sign three players

The Boston Bruins signed a trio of restricted free agents to one-year, two-way contracts Monday, per a team announcement. Goaltender Michael DiPietro, defenseman Alec Regula and defenseman Reilly Walsh all agreed to deals with $775K cap hits.

In doing so, the Bruins have retained some notable depth pieces for the AHL’s Providence Bruins, and they’ve also taken care of business with all their restricted free agents aside from their two pending arbitration cases: forward Trent Frederic and goalie Jeremy Swayman.

DiPietro will get another shot at trying to work his way up the organizational ladder after coming over from the Vancouver Canucks via trade last year. Once regarded as one of the better goalie prospects in the league, some perceived rushed development on Vancouver’s part, as well as limited play during the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly stunted the 24-year-old’s development. Boston decided to assign DiPietro to the ECHL’s Maine Mariners for most of last season, where he regained some confidence by compiling a 19-9-0 record with a 2.61 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 29 games. PuckPedia later added DiPietro’s minor-league salary will be $80K.

Regula recently came over to the Bruins from the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the trade return for winger Taylor Hall. The 22-year-old is now in his third NHL organization after being selected 67th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2018, but he’s shown good defensive upside during his time in the minors and has 22 NHL games under his belt with the Blackhawks. The 6-foot-4, 218-pound right-shot defender put up five goals, 16 assists and 21 points in 51 games for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs last year.

Walsh also arrived in Boston via trade this summer, coming over from the New Jersey Devils in a minor swap nearly a month ago. At 24, Walsh immediately became one of the more promising young defenders in the Bruins’ system, and he’ll be one of Boston’s first call-up options (along with Regula) if injuries strike. He’s displayed solid two-way skills in the minors, recording nine goals, 32 assists and 41 points in 71 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets last year. He does have one NHL game under his belt, recording an assist in his lone appearance with the Devils in 2021-22.

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The start of free agency was a busy one for the Boston Bruins, most notably bringing in guys like Milan Lucic, James van Riemsdyk, and Kevin Shattenkirk among others. While those guys got the most attention and deservedly so, a few minor additions were made by Don Sweeney and company. Here are some of those minor contracts.

Anthony Richard

One of the additions by Don Sweeney was Anthony Richard, who signed a one-year, two-way contract that has a $775,000 cap hit if he is in the NHL. Richard is a 26-year-old winger who has played in the NHL for the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens in his short career.

Richard originally broke into the league as a fourth-round draft choice by the Predators in 2015. That’s all I’ll say about that year for obvious reasons. He has three goals and two assists in 15 career NHL games, the most being 13 with Montreal last season.

A native of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Richard is not on the 23-man roster of the Bruins. What this means is that he’ll likely spend most of his time with the AHL Providence Bruins before becoming a UFA once again at this time next year.

Jayson Megna

Another one-year, two-way contract went to Jayson Megna, who signed to a $775,000 NHL cap hit. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Megna has played in parts of nine NHL seasons since signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an undrafted free agent.

Megna offers versatility in the forward group, as he has played center and both wings in the NHL, allowing Jim Montgomery to mix things up a little based on need should Megna be in the lineup. Megna is listed on the 23-man roster, so he might be in line for a good amount of chances in the lineup.

Last season, Megna played in 55 total games, including 14 with the Colorado Avalanche and 41 with the Anaheim Ducks. He netted two goals and six assists, averaging 10:00 of ice time in the bottom six for both teams

Over his nine seasons in the league, Megna has suited up for the Avalanche, Ducks, Penguins, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. He has 12 goals and 21 assists in his career, averaging 10:47 of ice time per game in 203 regular season games.

Parker Wotherspoon

Coming in on defense to, you guessed it, a one-year, two-way contract, is Parker Wotherspoon. Just like the Richard and Megna contracts, Wotherspoon will cost $775,000 against the cap if he is in the NHL with the Bruins.

Wotherspoon is also on the team’s 23-man roster, similar to Megna, so he could get his fair share of chances to break into the lineup, but will also see a good amount of time in the press box as a healthy scratch.

A native of Surrey, British Columbia, Wotherspoon was chosen in the fourth round of the 2015 draft by the New York Islanders, going 12 spots after Richard was selected by the Predators. He is a left-shot defenseman who joins Jakub Zboril behind Hampus Lindholm, Matt Grzelcyk, and Derek Forbort on the left-side depth chart.

Wotherspoon made his NHL debut last season with the Islanders, recording one point in the form of an assist in 12 games, averaging 13:20 in sheltered minutes. Wotherspoon will be a RFA and the Bruins will still have his rights at the end of the season.

Wrapping up the quartet of moves is winger Luke Toporowski, who was signed to a two-year entry-level contract worth $870,000. The deal contains performance and signing bonuses that push the AAV up, allowing the salary to max out at $1.9 million over two years.