Despite their cap situation, the Bruins knew they couldn’t afford to sit out the first day of NHL free agency.
After all, they still need to ice a complete roster.
Prioritizing bargain-priced veterans, the Bruins added James van Riemsdyk on a one-year deal worth $1 million. They made a reunion with Milan Lucic official with a $1 million contract that comes with another $500,000 in performance bonuses, and added veteran and former Boston University standout Kevin Shattenkirk on a one-year deal worth $1.05 million. Seattle bottom-six standout Morgan Geekie was also added, on a deal worth $2 million per season, and Geekie was the only one of the four to receive any sort of term, with Boston inking Geekie to a two-year deal at that hit.
“I don’t think you ever feel comfortable with where you sit in July [and] I don’t think you fully build your team out,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. “You have a lot of if, ands, or buts, but with the congestion of the marketplace as it relates to the cap and where we were, I think we did a lot of the things that we set out to do in addressing the depth overall of our club.
“We have plenty of opportunity for younger kids to come in and take their place if they earn it, but we’ve also complemented the group with players we felt we needed to fill some holes and address some needs.”
But the Bruins didn’t stop there, and instead rounded out their day with another five signings, and with ‘depth’ once again being the word with all four additions.
PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 14: Anthony Richard #90 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a goal in the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
One intriguing depth move for the Bruins came with the addition of forward Anthony Richard.
Inked to a one-year, two-way deal that would pay Richard the league minimum $775,000 at the NHL level, the 26-year-old’s move to the Bruins organization comes after a 2022-23 campaign spent with his home province Canadiens.
In the AHL, the 5-foot-11 Richard was an undeniable standout, with 30 goals and 67 points in 60 games for AHL Laval. Richard led the Rocket in goals (30), assists (37), and points (67), and his 30 goals were actually tied for the seventh-most among all AHL skaters in 2022-23.
Richard, who has named to the 2023 All-Star Challenge, was also one of just six AHL skaters to record at least 30 goals and at least 30 assists last season.
Mar 7, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Jayson Megna (7) during the game at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle defeated Anaheim 5-2. (Steven Bisig/USA TODAY Sports)
Another move with an emphasis on replenishing Providence’s forward depth with an experienced face came with Boston’s signing of Jayson Megna to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 at the NHL level.
A 6-foot-1 right shot, the 33-year-old Megna spent the majority of the 2022-23 season with Anaheim, and with two goals and eight points in 41 games for the Ducks. Megna actually began last season with the Avalanche, and had 20 hits and a 50.7 faceoff percentage in 14 games with Colorado, but was claimed off waivers by the Ducks in December.
Megna also added three goals and six points in nine games with AHL Colorado in 2022-23.
Your classic ‘tweener’ type, Megna has made NHL appearances for five different teams since 2013 (the Penguins, Rangers, Canucks, Avalanche, and Ducks), and has 12 goals and 33 points over that 203-game NHL run.
Megna has added 121 goals and 251 points in 415 AHL games since 2012.
VANCOUVER, CANADA – MARCH 11: Patrick Brown #38 of the Ottawa Senators skates up ice during the second period of their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on March 11, 2023. (Derek Cain/Getty Images)
Of the additonal ‘depth’ signings finalized by the Bruins to round out their Day 1 of free agency, the addition of forward Patrick Brown seems to have the greatest potential impact as far as the NHL roster goes, with the 31-year-old Brown signed a two-year contract worth $800,000 per season.
A right-shooting forward who can play both center and wing, Brown is coming off a 2022-23 season split between Philadelphia and Ottawa, and with Brown on the board for four goals and 12 points in 61 games.
Jan 21, 2023; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Parker Wotherspoon (38) controls the puck against Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (88) during the first period at UBS Arena. (Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)
On the backend in Providence, the Bruins have added some snarl with the addition of Parker Wotherspoon.
A 6-foot-1 defenseman, Wotherspoon was given the first NHL run of his professional career this past season, with a 12-game sample with the Islanders. Over the course of his 12-game run, the 25-year-old posted one assist and a plus-5 rating, and added seven blocks and eight hits, while averaging 13:20 per night.
“Wotherspoon is a hard-nosed lefty and we saw a lot of him in Bridgeport and our guys were high on him,” said Sweeney. “So, he can create some competition in all of those areas.”
Sep 27, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins forward Luke Toporowski (83) and New York Rangers defenseman Ty Emberson (39) battle for the puck during the first period at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
And in what was a little bit of some deserved housekeeping, the Bruins signed forward Luke Toporowski to a standard, two-year entry-level contract that’ll come with an NHL cap hit of $870,000.
With Providence on an AHL-only deal, the feisty 24-year-old wing tallied 15 goals and 29 points, along with a plus-8 rating, in 47 games for the P-Bruins. Despite being with the club on a minors only kind of contract, the Bruins made it known to Toporowski that there was always a path to an NHL contract with the club (Kevan Miller is a notable success story on that front for the Bruins), and the Iowa-born winger didn’t let it slip out of reach.
