Brandon Bussi has been a winning goaltender wherever he has played over the years. The Sound Beach, New York native played a season for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL in 2018-19 and was 33-12-4. Bussi’s combined record for three years at Western Michigan University was 47-25-5, and last season with Providence of the American Hockey League was 22-5-4. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound goaltender was never drafted but always seemed to improve year after year.
Some do not consider Bussi a “prospect” because he’s 25 years old, but goaltenders tend to peak later in life, and Bussi is certainly reaching his prime. After a terrific training camp, which included a 29-save shutout over the New York Rangers in the preseason, Bussi seems to be poised to get NHL playing time sooner than later. The Bruins have arguably the top goaltending tandem in all of hockey, with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman manning the net. But a decision will need to be made on who to move forward with after this season, as Ullmark makes $5 million annually and Swayman is a restricted free agent again.
Now enter Bussi. His season began with a 40-save performance in a season-opening shootout loss to Hartford. In game two, Bussi stopped 20 of 24 shots in a 4-3 loss. The hard-working netminder’s potential puts the Bruins in a good position. Do they move on from Vezina-Trophy winner Ullmark either during or at the end of this season? Reports around the league have the Edmonton Oilers in need of a goaltender, and Ullmark is a candidate for trade. Do the Bruins pull the trigger while the Oilers seem desperate for goaltending?
Odds are that the Bruins will keep their netminders for the season, but the off-season will get interesting. Boston has some minor league depth in the net with Michael DiPietro, Kyle Keyser, Philip Svedeback, and Reid Dyck in the pipeline. Keep an eye on the Bruins, potentially giving Bussi a chance in Boston very soon. He might not be considered a true prospect, but Brandon Bussi is a young goaltender to watch in the Bruins system.
