Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi has been the talk of the NHL, not because of his performance alone, but how he is performing in his first NHL season. Bussi has come out of nowhere and put up elite numbers for Carolina and could be worthy of some Vezina Trophy votes for the league's best goaltender. Does Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky sign him long-term now or wait until he sees more?
How Bussi got to this point
Talk about a roller coaster to start your NHL career. Bussi was originally signed as a free agent by the Boston Bruins on March 30, 2022. Shortly after signing, he found himself in need of NHL employment once again. The Florida Panthers signed him to a one-year, two-way contract on July, 1, 2025, and he would play with either the Panthers or their American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Three short months later he was on his third NHL organization.
This time the Hurricanes claimed him off Panthers waivers on October 5, 2025. The 27-year-old had finally found an NHL team to play for. Early in his career, Bussi showed signs that he could have success in the NHL with his solid performance with the Providence Bruins, an affiliate of Boston, of the American Hockey League. In three seasons with Providence, he posted a record of 60-29-9 with a 2.61 goals against average, a .914 save percentage, and was named to the AHL All-Rookie team in 2023.
What is the plan for Bussi?
Bussi has been tremendous this season. He has stepped in when Carolina needed him most and he is making the most of his opportunity. This season, he is 18-3-1 with a .904 save percentage, a 2.20 goals against average and one shutout. Over his last five games, he is 4-1 and has allowed 10 goals. He ranks second in high danger save percentage (.870) and has a high percentage of quality starts with a 63.6%. He is eighth in both wins (18) and goals against average (2.20).
Another reason Tulsky and the organization to sign Bussi long-term is that the Hurricanes do not have many goaltending prospects in their prospect system. Some may turn out to be quality goaltenders after they develop but none have NHL All-Star or starter to their name just yet. Carolina knows what they have in Bussi and are unsure of what Hurricanes goaltenders Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen will be after this season. Bussi is not an NHL veteran yet but he has shown he can put up quality starts and be counted on to play several games in a row.
While he is having huge amounts of success, both the organization and Bussi can't help but wonder what is in store for the goaltender. He will be an unrestircted free agent (UFA) in 2026-27 and currently has a contract where the annual average value (AAV) is $755.000. One can't help but think Carolina should lock him up long-term based on his success this season and who else is on the roster for the goaltending position.
Andersen is a UFA in 2026-27 also and has been on the injured list regularly. Kochetkov is a reliable goaltender who is a UFA in 2027-28. All three goaltenders need a contract but only two may get one. If Bussi is not given a new deal or long-term deal, he would be a steal for another team. He does have big potential, is not old, and his contract would b extremely team-friendly.