Bussi Making Stops, Starting Strong In Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. - There are games within the game, and then there are also games before the games.

One of the games played during each NHL preseason is between the front offices of each club, when tough roster decisions must be made involving players who are required to go through waivers before they can be assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate. There are always teams that have openings due to injuries, and there are players who shine during exhibition play that may be revered as a better option than the existing ones for certain teams.

And while you may be able to sneak a player through on a day when the waiver list is light, that's never a guarantee, and trying to pull that off when your player is one of just a few could easily spell trouble. It's a slippery slope - particularly with goaltenders.

That exact situation is what transpired for the Carolina Hurricanes to conclude this year's training camp. When the Canes put a claim in for goalie Brandon Bussi on Oct. 5, it was merely as an insurance policy in case Cayden Primeau, who had two solid preseason starts, was snatched up by another club.

Had Primeau gone unclaimed, there is a world where the Canes would have turned around and placed Bussi back on waivers the following day - a common maneuver.

But the Toronto Maple Leafs had a need, and off went Primeau, leaving the Canes and Bussi to form a relationship on the fly.

Two months later, that relationship is beginning to evolve into something special, even if it started from a place of mystery.

"I didn't know much about him," said Canes Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour. "I knew the name because we'd talked about him a lot. I'd heard that name going around in the offseasons, but I had zero (idea). I'd never even seen him play."

Now, Bussi continues to stack wins - his seven victories are a franchise-best mark through a first-year netminder's first eight career starts with the club - and the player Brind'Amour had only heard of is quickly becoming an impactful part of one of the Eastern Conference's best teams.

"He's just a good dude, number one. Like, I love that part of it," continued Brind'Amour. "You can just talk to him for a couple of minutes and know, 'Okay, this guy gets it.' So that's the thing that stands out. Can you stop pucks? Well, yeah, that looks like something that he's done for us really well."

For his part, Bussi, who was actually on his way to North Carolina to join Florida's AHL affiliate in Charlotte when Carolina claimed him, has cruised to a 7-1-0 start on the strength of his "timely saves" and calm demeanor.

Producing such impressive performances despite not enjoying the rhythm of starts that goaltenders typically prefer, with incumbents Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov having first claim to the net, makes Bussi's body of work all the more impressive.

"It's not easy not knowing when your next start is. Since he's arrived on the scene, that's what it's been. (He's had) nothing but a great attitude, and at the end of the day, every start, he's been solid. That's exactly what you need," said Brind'Amour.

Amid the unpredictable schedule, Bussi credits a regular routine for helping him stay sharp, whether he's suiting up for action or sitting up in the press box.

"It's actually a good balance of off days, getting your rest and mentally getting away from it, as well as when you come to the rink, now you're fully mentally there and ready on the ice, because you don't know when your next opportunity is going to be."

Naturally, when he faced just 28 total shots across his first set of consecutive starts on Nov. 28 and 30, Bussi's refrain was similar after allowing a single goal in the former and notching his first NHL shutout in the latter.

"You never know, as a goalie, when that moment will be, or if there will be a moment for a big play, or something crazy to happen," he said. "So it's just mentally staying with it. You never know."

"It's not like we've been leaving him out to dry or giving up 40 shots a night," said Brind'Amour. "It's not really that, but if there's a breakaway here or there, those are huge moments in tight games. Every game, it's almost been the same story. It's timely saves that allow us to have a chance, and that's what you ask for."

Bussi the goaltender and Bussi the person have both drawn rave reviews in Raleigh, but it's that ability to come through in decisive moments that continues to impress those around him.

"It's incredible. He played great all game. He didn't get tested a whole lot, but when he did, he was making big saves," said Seth Jarvis after the Canes' win over Winnipeg on Nov. 28. "That one was massive for our confidence. To keep us in the game like that was huge."

"I think you're seeing him grow from game to game, too. He's got a lot of talent as a goalie, and he's a big body, obviously," echoed Taylor Hall in review of Bussi's first perfect outing on Nov. 30.

"I think he's got a bright future in this league, and he's only going to get better and better once he's used to the speed and just the talent that's in this league. But [he's a] great guy, and he's been a huge addition to us."

Bussi came to Carolina as a relatively unknown commodity, and understandably so. Such is the roll of the dice when it comes to waiver claims, particularly those involving goaltenders without NHL experience

Sometimes that roll reveals a talented player who, respectably, reached his ceiling in the AHL. But other times, you find an overlooked gem, just waiting for the chance to shine at the next level.

The more time Bussi spends between the pipes, the more he looks like the latter option.

"It doesn't matter if you're 22 or 26, especially if you're a goalie; there's no direct path to being what you are," said Hall. "When you're big and you're athletic like he is in the net, just keep going. Like I said, I think he's only going to get better and better."

And, as the saying goes after each Canes win in Lenovo Center: if you don't know, now you know.

"I think (the hockey world) knows who he is now," said Jarvis. "He's been electric. He's the best guy. There's no one I'm happier for."