The Boston Bruins have signed former Vancouver Canucks prospect goaltender Michael DiPietro to a contract extension.
Originally drafted by the Canucks in the third round at 64th overall, DiPietro has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with Boston. The Bruins announced the contract on Wednesday afternoon.
The #NHLBruins have signed goaltender Michael DiPietro to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
: https://t.co/yM7TLP2tRJ pic.twitter.com/xfWRyyiPss
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 20, 2024
The Bruins originally acquired DiPietro from the Canucks alongside the rights to prospect defenceman Jonathan Myrenberg in October 2022 in exchange for forward Jack Studnicka.
DiPietro was set to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer upon the conclusion of his current one-year deal with the Bruins. His new deal carries a $775,000 NHL cap hit.
DiPietro and Linus Ullmark are the only two goaltenders under contract with the Bruins for next season. The team also has Jeremy Swayman and Brandon Bussi set to become restricted free agents this summer, plus pending Group 6 UFA Kyle Keyser.
At one point, DiPietro was dubbed as the Canucks’ goalie of the future, and management was open with the fact they expected him to start 50-60 games in the Abbotsford Canucks’ inaugural AHL season.
Instead, DiPietro lost the starting job to Arturs Silovs, and after that and the emergence of Spencer Martin, DiPietro struggled to find ice time as a member of the Canucks organization late in the 2021-22 season. He still started 34 games that season — the most of any goalie in Abbotsford — but it was clear heading into the 2022-23 season that Arturs Silovs was the Canucks’ new “goalie of the future” and that they’d be prioritizing his development.
As a result, the Canucks pulled the trigger on the trade that sent DiPietro to Boston.
The Canucks traded their return of the trade, Jack Studnicka, to the San Jose Sharks earlier this season in exchange for AHL defenceman Nick Cicek and a 6th round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
After spending almost all of last season in the ECHL, DiPietro, now 24 years old, has a 17-8-0 record with a .917 save percentage and four shutouts in 26 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins this season.
More must-reads:
With the Dallas Stars finalizing a deal with Glen Gulutzan on July 1 to become their new head coach, all 32 teams have their man behind the bench for the 2025-26 season. Overall, nine teams hired new head coaches, but these four have the best chance of success this season: Adam Foote, Vancouver Canucks In his first NHL head-coaching job, Foote — who played in the league for 20 seasons — gets a team that endured plenty of disfunction last season. The good news for Foote is that his roster includes former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes, former Vezina finalist Thatcher Demko and No. 1 center Elias Pettersson. Vancouver also re-signed winger Brock Boeser to a long-term deal. However, their center depth may be lacking a bit after its trade of J.T. Miller and the injury histories of Demko and Boeser. Vancouver will face an uphill climb in a tough Pacific Division that includes powers Edmonton, Vegas and Los Angeles. Foote must get the best out of his stars to get Vancouver back into the postseason. The Canucks have made the postseason only twice over the past 10 seasons. Rick Tocchet, Philadelphia Flyers The former Jack Adams Award winner (NHL Coach of Year) was fired by the Vancouver Canucks after a disappointing season and subsequently scooped up by the Flyers, who had fired John Tortorella. Tocchet brings a similar gritty, heavy forechecking approach as Tortorella that seems to fit for the Flyers. Philadelphia features solid, young talent, including budding superstar forward Matvei Michkov and newly acquired winger Trevor Zegras. The Flyers’ biggest issue is goaltending. Philadelphia finished last in team save percentage last season. Tocchet must get better play in the net. Mike Sullivan, New York Rangers The two-time Stanley Cup champion parted with the Pittsburgh Penguins after a third straight season out of the playoffs. New York, the 2024 President’s Trophy-winning team, faltered last season, missing the playoffs after three straight seasons in the postseason. New York traded young defenseman K’Andre Miller, 25, but it signed the top defensive free agent, Vladislav Gavrikov, who should form an elite pairing with former Norris winner Adam Fox. The Rangers also have center J.T. Miller (acquired last January) for a full season and former Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin in net. The Rangers have plenty of talent to compete in a wide-open Metropolitan Division, so Sullivan has a great chance at getting New York back into the playoffs. Glen Gulutzan, Dallas Stars Gulutzan, who coached Dallas from 2011-13, has one of the NHL’s most talented rosters. The Stars re-signed Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn for their forward group, which also includes stars Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson. It may be the best unit in the league. Dallas' defensive core features a star (Miro Heiskanen) and breakout youngster (23-year-old Thomas Harley). They’re backstopped in net by Jake Oettinger, who could start for Team USA at the 2026 Olympics. With all this talent, Gulutzan has the best chance of success of any new NHL coach.
Tyreek Hill was just trying to be a good teammate, but his Miami Dolphins colleague didn't care for the message. On Friday, Hill gave a meaty performance during his media availability, broaching subjects from his mastery of the offense this year to saying he agreed with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that he needed to be a better leader on the Dolphins for the upcoming season. Then he took a shot at running back De'Von Achane. He suggested the Dolphins keep the 5-foot-9, 191-pound back off the field in third-and-short situations. "Take (Achane) out on 3rd-down," Hills told reporters, via the Dolphins. "What? That's my honest opinion. If it's third-and-short, he's not a power back. I've been telling him that in the locker room... I love De'Von, but If I'm being honest, that's why you got Jaylen Wright, that's why you got Ollie Gordon." Achane responded to Hill giving his opinion to the media. "That's how you feel," Achane wrote with a laughing emoji. Achane rushed for 907 yards and six touchdowns on 203 carries last season. That's an average of 4.5 yards per rush. The Dolphins' backfield as a whole struggled in the run game last season, averaging a pedestrian 105.6 rushing yards per contest. Achane certainly didn't thrive on third-and-short, but Hill's comments feel unnecessary. Last season, Hill caught 81 passes for 959 yards and six touchdowns — his worst production since 2019, when he missed four games due to injury. Is Hill ready to admit that he's washed? Miami's offense was bad, and it didn't help that Tagovailoa missed time due to a concussion. Defenses took advantage of the Dolphins' limited and discombobulated offense last season. Miami's training-camp news conferences are becoming a concern. Hopefully for the team, Achane won't take the slight from Hill too personally.
In the aftermath of Austin Hill and Aric Almirola's incident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, team owner Richard Childress has made an odd claim about what led to the crash. Hill was suspended for Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway after NASCAR ruled that he intentionally wrecked Almirola in retaliation for previous contact. But Childress doesn't see things the same way, instead claiming that Sheldon Creed, who drove for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2022 and 2023, was involved. In an interview on Kenny Wallace's YouTube channel on Thursday, Childress explained what he saw. "I think there was a lot more that once NASCAR, I hope they take a deep dive into it like we have. If you look where the No. 00 (Creed) was, he actually caught the No. 21 car (Hill) and hooked him," Childress said. "It was all so close and happened so fast. ... I think when it went left on him, that's when the No. 00 got into his left-rear quarter panel." Video replay of the incident does not show any contact between the vehicles of Hill and Creed before Hill began to turn left and hit Almirola. Rather, it appears that Hill initially straightened out his No. 21 Chevrolet before deciding to turn left and hook Almirola, wrecking both cars and ultimately leading to his suspension on Tuesday. Hill did hit the right front of Creed's No. 00 Ford, but that contact only occurred after Hill had begun to turn Almirola's No. 19. Dillon will drive the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway on Saturday in place of Hill, who will return at Watkins Glen on Aug. 9.
Caitlin Clark’s extended injury absence has prompted the Indiana Fever’s front office to make a move during this crucial juncture in the season. This came in the form of signing 6-foot-2 forward Chloe Bibby on a seven-day contract on July 25. That short-term deal has now come to an end, which has forced Indiana to make a decision on Bibby’s status with the team. Indiana Fever Sign Chloe Bibby The team announced on Thursday that Bibby will now be with the squad for the remainder of the season. This is after the 27-year-old put pen to paper on a rest-of-season contract. The Fever rewarded Bibby with a new deal after two strong performances. She helped Indiana secure back-to-back wins on Sunday against the Chicago Sky and on Wednesday against the Phoenix Mercury. In her first two appearances for the Fever, the Australian averaged 9.0 points and 2.0 triples in just 12.0 minutes off the bench. Aliyah Boston Reacts to the News Fever fans have been clamoring for a long-term contract for Bibby, and they finally got their wish on Friday. This was met with excitement by the Indiana faithful, which was also the case for Fever star Aliyah Boston. The three-time All-Star took to Instagram to share her reaction to the Bibby news. Boston used just one word to express her excitement. “ wohoo,” she wrote. Bibby has been with the team for merely a week, but she’s already made quite an impact on her new teammates. Boston’s enthusiasm over Bibby’s new deal is a testament to the same. As for her basketball, Boston has needed to step up amid Clark’s absence. While the recent Bibby boost has been great for Indiana, Boston has taken center stage as Clark continues to nurse her re-aggravated groin. In the five games Clark has sat out, Boston has put up averages of 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.8 minutes per contest. Boston will need to keep her foot on the gas on Friday against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings if she hopes to help lead Indiana to its fourth straight win.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!