Bruins
Brandon Bussi earned All-Star honors in his first full season with the Windfall Bruins in 2022-23.
The Bruins commenced what stands to be a busy offseason by securing a chunk of their future on Monday.
The group introduced that it signed pending restricted free agent goalie Brandon Bussi to a one-year, two-way contract extension by the 2023-24 season.
The 24-year-old netminder has established himself as Boston’s high prospect between the pipes and the group’s No. 3 choice on the depth chart behind Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 after a formidable profession at Western Michigan College, Bussi has put collectively spectacular returns throughout his brief stint within the professional ranks.
After a promising debut with the Windfall Bruins in 2021-22, the 24-year-old Bussi thrived in his first full AHL marketing campaign in 2022-23. The Sound Seaside, New York, native earned All-Star honors for the Child B’s, posting a 22-5-4 file with a .924 save share, good for the third-highest mark within the league.
Bussi was referred to as up by the Bruins on an emergency foundation to again up Swayman in Boston’s closing regular-season video games towards the Flyers and Canadiens. He caught round with the NHL membership because the No. 3 goalie throughout Boston’s doomed first-round collection towards the Panthers.
Inking Bussi to a brand new deal permits Boston to maintain its high AHL goalie in place for one more 12 months of important improvement.
However after a standout displaying in his first full 12 months with the group, may Bussi be in line for a extra vital position with Boston in 2023-24?
Despite the fact that Boston ideally desires to maintain its 1-2 punch of Ullmark and Swayman intact shifting ahead, a extreme cap crunch would possibly drive Don Sweeney into some drastic choices.
With Swayman nonetheless due a pleasant pay increase this summer time as one other unrestricted free agent, the Bruins may discover a commerce for Ullmark searching for cap reduction, provided that his worth could by no means be greater coming off a possible Vezina Trophy win.
Choosing a reworked tandem of Swayman and Bussi as a inexperienced backup might be an choice Boston takes, particularly if it desires to construct for the longer term and save a stable chunk of cap area.
Granted, such a transfer nonetheless gives loads of threat provided that Bussi has but to play in a single NHL sport. Boston may need to peruse the free-agent market for an inexpensive veteran if Ullmark is certainly dealt later this summer time.
No matter how Boston settles its present goalie corps, Bussi’s improvement can be one thing price watching in 2023-24.
With Boston possible needing to embrace a youth motion with the intention to offset its present fiscal restrictions, Bussi is perhaps considered one of many AHL regulars set to earn bigger roles on the mum or dad membership subsequent 12 months.
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