Recapping the Boston Bruins minor free agency additions

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.

Luke Toporowski

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.

Playing with the Providence Bruins last season, Toporowski had 15 goals and 14 assists in the regular season, with a +8 rating in 47 games. In the Calder Cup playoffs, Toporowski had two goals in four games.

The contract rewards a strong season in Providence by Toporowski, and he’ll likely continue to spend the majority of his time down there with other Bruins prospects. Should he crack the lineup in a regular season game next year, it would be his NHL debut.