Bruins’ Fumbling of Brandon Bussi Evident in Stanley Cup Final

Hindsight is 20/20. For those of us who are capable of introspection and learning from our experiences, there’s always something to take from the past. In the case of the Boston Bruins, the front office has a lot to answer for to the fans lately, as the development pipeline leaves a lot to be desired.

General manager Don Sweeney and president Cam Neely need to be prepared to eat their humble pie, as Brandon Bussi, a goalie prospect who fell through the cracks, just put on a show with the Carolina Hurricanes in the postseason.

The Bruins let his one-year, $775,000 contract expire (signed on June 24, 2024) taking him to unrestricted free agent status. His time in Boston consisted of him signing year-to-year deals, with no plans for the future, as he played 111 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins.

He signed a contract with the Florida Panthers, but never suited up for them or their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

In June 2025, he departed the Bruins organization, never appearing in an NHL contest in Boston. That’s when the Panthers offered him a one-year, two-way deal, valued at $775k.

His career in the AHL ended with a record of 63-31-12, 2.62 goals-against average, and a .915 save percentage. It’s puzzling why Bussi never got a shot at the NHL with stats like this. When Joonas Korpisalo and Jeremy Swayman were struggling, they could’ve utilized him as a call-up to see what they had in Providence.

Instead of keeping around a solid goalie prospect, who had respectable numbers in the AHL, they let him walk. An all-too-common phenomenon of the Bruins organization.

Brandon Bussi’s Career as a Carolina Hurricane

Fast forward to the 2025-26 season, and he’s now a regular goaltender in the Hurricanes organization, sharing the net with veteran Frederik Andersen.

The Hurricanes claimed Bussi off waivers from the Panthers in Oct. 2025. He made his debut against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 14, 2025, making 16 saves on 17 shots, with a .941 SV%.

Since then, he’s put up average numbers during the regular season behind head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s team. That isn’t the whole story, however.

Bussi’s record of 39 games played, 31-6-2, 2.44 goals-against average, and a .895 save percentage (SV%) was indicative of what was to come. His regular-season performance wasn’t spectacular, but it helped push the Hurricanes to the postseason.

Bussi shone in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, posting a 3-0-1 record, a 1.60 GAA, and a .931 SV%, and now has a Stanley Cup to his name.

This is quite a leap from 2020, as it was noted on his LinkedIn that he was working at Chipotle while playing hockey at Western Michigan University.

A viral social media post by B/R Open Ice revealed that Bussi spent a portion of his summer in 2020 working as a crew member at Chipotle while systematically pursuing his hockey goals.

Bussi started Games 4, 5, and 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights. In Game 5, he made 18 saves on 21 shots in a 5-3 victory, and Game 6 upped the ante, making 22 saves on 22 shots against, shutting out the 2023 Stanley Cup champions 3-0.

Bruins’ Management of Prospect Pipeline Is Disappointing

The Bruins need to re-evaluate how they manage their pipeline, as it’s leaked talent that was deserving of a shot in the NHL. Bussi is an example of Sweeney’s failure and his inability to see past his bias towards NHL veterans.

This is another case of “coulda, woulda, and shoulda” for GM Sweeney and company.