Who’d have thought that a contingency waiver claim could stake a claim as the potential number one netminder on a perennial contender, while making NHL history at the same time?
It sounds crazy, but that’s exactly what Brandon Bussi is doing for the Carolina Hurricanes.
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The 27-year-old netminder has seized the opportunity presented to him and he’s seemingly cemented himself as the Canes’ number one netminder.
To start his NHL career, Bussi has a 0.909 save percentage, one shutout and an 9-1-0 record, becoming just the fifth goaltenders in NHL history to record nine wins within their first 10 career starts (Igor Shesterkin, Frederik Andersen, Bob Froese, Frank Brimsek).
And he’ll be getting the chance to do something only one other netminder in NHL history has done tonight as he is set for start number 11.
Bussi will be getting the chance to join Bob Froese as the only other goalie in NHL history to win 10 wins in his first 11 starts (Froese started his career 12-0-1) on Thursday night against the Washington Capitals, the second time he’s started in consecutive games so far this season.
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“I don’t think we envisioned him going in an every-day rotation or a back-to-back, but he’s earned that,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour Thursday morning.
You’d think that an NHL rookie would be a little caught up in the emotions of everything that’s gone on along the way, but if you asked the 27-year-old netminder if this stretch or the moments within it have even felt surreal, you’d probably be fairly surprised by his blasé attitude.
“My job is to stop the puck as much as I can and I just take it day-by-day,” Bussi said. “It feels good to get wins. Our team’s been playing really well in most of these wins if not all of them, so it feels good. Gonna try and keep it going.
“He doesn’t get shaken,” said teammate Seth Jarvis. “I think obviously the position he was in coming in, a bad goal or something could have ruined his confidence, but I think he’s incredibly confident in himself and knows that. And for us, knowing we have a guy back there that makes timely saves and will bail us out when need be is huge.”
Hurricanes Goalie Brandon Bussi Unveils New Mask
Hurricanes Goalie Brandon Bussi Unveils New Mask Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi debuts a custom mask, a vibrant tribute to autism awareness and personal family connection, featuring unique artistry.
Bussi is writing quite the story in Carolina and it’s only been getting better and better.
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It’s gone from a feel good story of a rookie doing well, to actually looking like a potentially game-changing acquisition for the Hurricanes.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re 22 or 26, especially when you’re a goalie,” said teammate Taylor Hall. “There’s no direct path to being what you are and when you’re big and athletic like he is in the net, you just need to keep going. I think he’s only going to get better and better.”
The 6-foot-4, New York native has positioned himself as the top netminder not only for the Hurricanes but currently in the league as well.
And it isn’t like Bussi has been insulated by the Canes’ play either. Sure, he’s not facing 30 shots a night, but the saves that he’s being asked to make are shorthanded breakaways, 2-on-1s, and overall just multiple high-danger chances game after game and he’s been absolutely incredible.
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“That’s what goaltending’s really about,” Brind’Amour said. “If you can make the saves at crucial times, that’s what I think goaltending is really about. You’re supposed to make the ones you’re supposed to make and make a couple that you’re not supposed to make, but when you make them, I think, is real important too.”
Bussi is currently leading the Canes in goals saved above expected (7.5) according to moneypuck.com and is actually leading the entire league in high-danger save percentage (0.888) according to NHL Edge.
“He’s been great for us,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s come up with the timely saves and that’s how I sum it up. Because it’s not like we’ve bene leaving him out to dry or giving up 40 shots a night. It’s not that, but if there’s a breakaway here or there all of a sudden, those are huge moments in tight games and every game, you could kind of say the same story. Timely saves that allow us to have a chance. That’s what you ask of him.”
While essentially an unknown to the league and the greater hockey world when he made his NHL debut, Bussi wasn’t just a random claim by the Hurricanes.
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The Western Michigan University product went undrafted out of college, but a strong three seasons with the Providence Bruins put him on the Hurricanes’ radar.
His name kept coming up in organizational meetings during the summer and he was a player that the team knew they’d want to keep an eye on.
“He was somebody I identified in the summertime,” said Hurricanes goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder. “He obviously ended up signing in Florida, but he was somebody who was on my list of people to go after. I had him down as somebody who, he obviously played down in the American league for three years, but was ready to make that jump to the NHL.”
And as fate would have it, a chance came on the waiver wire and the rest is history.
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“The hockey world can be crazy at times,” Bussi recalls.
From one of the hundreds of players hoping and praying for the chance to prove their mettle, to standing on the verge of making NHL history in just a few months.
“I think they know who he is now,” Jarvis said. “He’s been electric. He’s the best guy. No one I’m happier for.”
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