The Carolina Hurricanes are now just one win away from winning their second Stanley Cup championship. Oddly enough, though, they are not on the verge of accomplishing this on the shoulders of Frederik Andersen, but on the shoulders of Brandon Bussi.
After a rough outing in Game 3, which saw the Vegas Golden Knights win 5-4 in overtime, Andersen got the hook before the third period, trailing 4-1. The Hurricanes rallied back, and the Golden Knights picked up the win in the extra period on a weird bounce off the backboards. However, in relief, Bussi made 19 stops and named the starter for Game 4, and most recently, Game 5, both victories.
Why any Florida Panthers fan would care about the Hurricanes potentially winning the Stanley Cup, or how they are just 60 minutes away from that with a rather unknown netminder in Bussi, is because he was signed as a free agent by the organization last July 1.
Undrafted, Bussi joined the Providence Bruins in 2021-22 after three seasons with Western Michigan University. Although he had a brief stint in the ECHL, four games, he's been an AHL regular, compiling a 63-31-13 record in 111 games.
Brandon Bussi:
— Michael Amato (@amato_mike) June 12, 2026
- Never drafted
- Played 111 AHL games
- Claimed off waivers just prior to the 2025-26 season
- Played his first career NHL game in October
- Went 53 days without playing a game
- Wins Game 4 and 5 of Cup Final
Quite a story. #SoundtheSiren
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. Shortly after dressing in some preseason games with Florida, the Hurricanes claimed him off waivers in October. During his first NHL season, the 27-year-old from Sound Beach, NY, went 31-6-2 with a .895 SV% and 2.47 GAA in 39 games.
Interestingly, Bussi was in goal for the Panthers' worst loss of the 2025-26 season, a 9-1 defeat to the Hurricanes, on January 16.
After an impressive season helping Carolina win the Metropolitan Division, the organization rewarded Bussi with a $5.7 million contract. In return, he's rewarding their faith in him by stepping up in the most critical games of the Stanley Cup Final.
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