Brandon Bussi: from waiver wire to Stanley Cup final starter

- Brandon Bussi was a waiver claim earlier this season. Eight months later he's the probable Game 5 starter in the Stanley Cup Final for the Carolina Hurricanes. - He had an impressive regular season, becoming one of the top goalies in the league. - Frederik Andersen posted a low save percentage across the first few games of the Final. Bussi answered with solid performances in relief and a Game 4 start. - The series is tied. Game 5 winners in a tied Final often have a significant advantage.

Brandon Bussi is about to start the biggest game of his life. Eight months ago, nobody outside of Providence knew his name.

He was signed to a contract by Florida, but they tried to sneak him through waivers at the end of camp. Carolina grabbed him when they had the chance, probably figuring he was organizational depth.

Now he's the guy most likely starting Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final with the series tied.

Nineteen years of waiting for a second championship in Raleigh.

It might come down to how a 27-year-old who'd never played an NHL game before this season handles the next 60 minutes.

Four years riding buses in Providence.

A four-game stint in the ECHL with Maine last season. Undrafted out of Western Michigan. Signed by Boston, never got a sniff. Now Rod Brind'Amour is handing him the crease for the biggest game of the year.

How did Bussi go from waivers to franchise goalie?

The regular season numbers sound fake for a waiver claim: impressive stats that led the Hurricanes in wins. He quickly established himself as a key player for the team.

That's not a hot streak. That's a franchise goalie.

Carolina acted like it.

They signed him to a contract extension before anyone else could sniff around.

But regular season numbers don't matter in June.

Bussi got his chance because of bad luck in the crease. Pyotr Kochetkov managed only a few games before a lower-body injury required surgery. Frederik Andersen couldn't string together consistent starts early on. Bussi didn't just fill a gap.

He grabbed the net and flat out refused to let go.

By January, the Hurricanes had a problem most teams would kill for: too many goalies playing well.

By May, they had a different problem. And it led to the biggest coaching decision of Brind'Amour's career.

What happened to Frederik Andersen in the final?

Before the Final, Andersen was building a strong postseason resume.

The kind of run that gets your jersey retired. The kind that carries a team to within spitting distance of the Cup.

Then the Final happened.

Andersen struggled in the first few games.

That's not a slump.

That's a collapse at the worst possible time.

Brind'Amour had to make the call no coach wants. Stick with the veteran who carried you through three rounds? Or hand the crease to the kid who'd never started a playoff game in his life?

He went to Bussi.

Can Bussi close out the series for Carolina?

Bussi stopped a significant number of shots in relief during Game 3, including a penalty shot that could have ended it right there.

Vegas still won in double OT. But Bussi gave Carolina a pulse they didn't have with Andersen between the pipes.

Game 4 was his first career playoff start. On the road. In the Stanley Cup Final. The stakes don't get higher than that.

He made crucial saves in a win.

Series tied. Two of the next three at home.

Combined across both Final appearances: solid stats. Nothing flashy. Just steady. Right now, steady wins.

People keep reaching for the Andrew Hammond comparison, the Hamburglar run in Ottawa back in 2014-15 when an unknown AHL call-up went on a remarkable stretch. Other situation. Hammond was scraping for a wildcard in March.

Bussi is doing this in June on a legitimate contender.

Brind'Amour wouldn't name his Game 5 starter publicly. But Bussi was in the starter's net at morning skate. Andersen didn't participate. Read into that what you want.

Andersen has had a strong postseason overall.

Nobody should forget that. He's the reason Carolina got here.

But the Final exposed something Brind'Amour couldn't ignore.

He can't afford sentiment with the Cup on the line. Game 5 winners in a tied Stanley Cup Final often have a significant advantage. This is the swing game.

Brind'Amour captained Carolina to its only Cup in 2006. Now he's the coach deciding whether a waiver-wire pickup can deliver another one. He made his call.

Tonight we find out if the kid can finish a story nobody saw coming.

Sources

- NHL.com: Bussi exceeding expectations for Carolina Hurricanes - NHL.com: Hurricanes acquire Bussi off waivers - NHL.com: Carolina Hurricanes starting goalie Game 5 Stanley Cup Final