Don Sweeney’s choice to let Brandon Bussi walk is looking like the kind of move Bruins fans won’t forget anytime soon.
When free agency opened in the summer of 2025, Boston’s general manager had to make a call between his young goalies. He re-signed Michael DPietro and allowed Bussi to leave, and that decision sent Bussi to the Florida Panthers. Not long before the season started, though, Bussi was put on waivers, claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes, and the move quickly turned into a huge win for Carolina.
Bussi ended up playing in nearly half of the Hurricanes’ games as injuries piled up in goal, and he became a regular presence for Rod Brind’Amour. His season only got better from there.
After a strong regular season, he delivered in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights and helped Carolina win the Cup in six games. Looking ahead, he appears set up for a major jump next season.
Once Carolina claimed him, Bussi put together a 31-6-2 record with a 2.47 goals-against average, a .895 save percentage, and two shutouts. In the playoffs, Frederik Andersen opened as the starter, but that changed in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Bussi entered in relief and went 3-1-0 with a 1.60 GAA and a .931 SV% as the Hurricanes lifted the Cup in Las Vegas in June.
The next question is whether Bussi can take over as the man in Raleigh. Andersen left in free agency for the Edmonton Oilers, leaving Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov as Carolina’s projected goaltending duo. At this point, Bussi looks like the favorite to get the first shot when the season opens in late September, though nothing has been officially settled.
Boston, meanwhile, has another question in its crease. Sweeney traded Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers, which clears the way for Michael DiPietro to back up Jeremy Swayman.
The Bruins will need DiPietro to be ready for that job. If he isn’t, the decision to let Bussi go could end up sticking with the Black and Gold for a long time.
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