The Bruins signed a restricted free-agent goalie Monday. No, not Jeremy Swayman. It was Brandon Bussi, whom they inked to a one-year, two-way contract that carries an NHL cap hit of $775,000.
Bussi occupies an interesting place in the Bruins’ goaltending plans. Signed out of Western Michigan University as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Bussi was terrific in his first pro season this past year, going 22-5-4 for the Providence Bruins with a .924 save percentage, which led AHL rookies and ranked second among all AHL goalies.
As things stand currently, the soon-to-be 25-year-old Bussi would be slated to enter the year as Providence’s No. 1 goalie and continue to work on his game in the AHL.
But, as we’ve covered previously, the Bruins trading one of their NHL goalies – more likely Linus Ullmark than Swayman – this summer is not out of the question. If that were to happen, would Bussi be ready to jump in and be Boston’s No. 2 goalie?
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Well, I have asked that exact question to two people who would know better than me: P-Bruins expert Mark Divver and former Bruins goalie Andrew Raycroft, who has skated with Bussi during summers.
Neither completely ruled it out, but both did express some hesitation, saying that more AHL time would be good for Bussi.
“I think he needs more [seasoning],” Divver said on The Skate Podcast last month (listen to the full clip below). “He gives up a lot of rebounds, and that’s death in the NHL. So, I think he needs more work there. But they may be forced to if they trade a goalie. It may be time to throw him in the pool and see if he can swim.”
Despite those reservations, Divver had high praise for Bussi overall.
“What a year he had. He’s the reason they [Providence] finished in first place,” he said. “I would say he stole five or six games. They only finished in first place by a point. … He was just so good for them, and he’s such a battler. He’s not technically great, but he battles and battles and battles. There’s no shot or puck that he gives up on. I think he has a chance to definitely be an NHL goalie. Is that next year? Is it two years from now? Who knows. But I think they got a really good prospect in him, signing him out of college.”
Raycroft has been impressed with Bussi’s development curve over the last couple years, but thinks there’s still more developing to do before he’s ready to stick at the NHL level.
“I’ve known Brandon for four or five years now,” Raycroft said on Sunday Skate back on May 7 (listen beginning at the 38:40 mark in the clip below). “He’s skated in the summer. I’ve been on the ice with him. He’s an awesome kid, and he’s made huge strides in his game here the last couple years. He’s not Linus Ullmark yet. What we saw last season, that’s a huge step for him to come in and play, say, 40 games in the NHL next season. I think that’s a big ask.
“So, you’re still looking probably at him being in the minors and being the guy right from Day 1. This season he wasn’t. He started in Maine [in the ECHL] and worked his way up. Get him in a couple exhibition games. He hasn’t even played an NHL exhibition game yet. So, I think it’s a little aggressive to think he’s just automatically going to be a backup goaltender here next year. There’s going to be guys – every year there’s guys who can be a backup for $1 million or $1.5 million that can play 30 games.”
Divver and Raycroft know what they’re talking about, and more development time is never really a bad idea. As a counter-argument, though, I would point out that Swayman played just nine AHL games before making his NHL debut, and he more than held his own right from the start. It’s not quite apples to apples because Swayman was probably a little more polished as a prospect, but few would have thought he was truly ready for the NHL at the time.
Still, Raycroft is probably right that there would also be a veteran backup around in case Bussi isn’t ready. Bussi remains waiver-exempt, so the Bruins could move him up and down between Boston and Providence no problem.
And if the Bruins do keep both Swayman and Ullmark, then the next interesting part of the organizational goalie discussion would revolve around which goalie joins Bussi in Providence. Kyle Keyser and Michael DiPietro are both restricted free agents as well and are both 24 years old. Keyser split time with Bussi in Providence last year, while DiPietro got stuck in ECHL Maine just so he could play. He played well, though, and both really should be AHLers at this point, so it would be interesting to see if the Bruins look into moving one of them.