Brandon Bussi’s Breakout in Carolina Has Bruins Fans Asking “What If?”
Free agency decisions are never easy - especially when it comes to your own talent. NHL GMs live in a world of calculated risks, and no matter how sharp their instincts, sometimes the ones that get away end up making the loudest statement.
That’s the position Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney finds himself in today. To be fair, Sweeney has built a strong track record over the years.
But like every executive in the league, not every call is going to age gracefully. Case in point: Brandon Bussi.
Last summer, Sweeney had a decision to make between two young goaltenders. In the end, he opted to re-sign Michael DiPietro and let Bussi - an undrafted free agent who had shown flashes in the Bruins’ system - walk.
Bussi signed with the Florida Panthers, but didn’t stick there long. After hitting waivers, he was scooped up by the Carolina Hurricanes.
And that’s where the story really starts to take off.
Fast forward to now, and Bussi is not just holding his own - he’s thriving. After backstopping Carolina to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, Bussi’s record sits at an eye-popping 18-3-1.
He’s sporting a 2.20 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage, and has already logged a shutout. But it’s not just the numbers - it’s how he’s getting them.
On Monday, he turned in one of the best saves of the season, robbing Buffalo’s Tage Thompson with a highlight-reel stop that had the crowd buzzing and the hockey world taking notice. It’s the kind of save that doesn’t just make the nightly highlight reel - it makes voters take a second look.
And that’s exactly what’s happening. NHL.com’s Dan Rosen recently noted that if you’re evaluating purely on performance - not name recognition - Bussi deserves to be in the Vezina Trophy conversation.
According to NHL EDGE data, Bussi ranks second in the NHL in high-danger save percentage (.870), trailing only Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders (.875). That’s elite company.
Yes, Carolina’s defensive structure helps - they’re the league’s best shot suppression team - but Bussi isn’t just riding the system. He’s making the kind of saves that steal games, shift momentum, and earn trust in the locker room.
Now, let’s be clear: winning the Vezina is a tall order. With names like Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin still dominating the conversation, cracking into that top tier is no small feat. But even being mentioned in that group as a rookie goaltender, especially one who was undrafted and let go by his original team, is a testament to just how far Bussi has come.
For the Bruins, it’s a tough pill to swallow. Goalie depth has long been a strength in Boston, but watching a former prospect flourish elsewhere - especially with this kind of upside - naturally leads to some second-guessing.
What if they had held onto him? What might he have become in Black and Gold?
But for now, the story belongs to Bussi and the Hurricanes. He’s earned his shot, and he’s making the most of it.
The question now is whether he can sustain this level through the grind of the NHL season - and maybe even into the playoffs. If he does, the Vezina whispers won’t stay whispers for long.