The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the top teams this season, with goalie Brandon Bussi being a major factor as to why. Today, he has signed a deal to avoid being a free agent this offseason. Let’s take a deeper dive into what the contract is and what he has done to deserve this deal.
The Carolina Hurricanes extend Brandon Bussi
It was announced on Monday that the Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a three-year, $5.7 million contract extension with goaltender Brandon Bussi. This keeps the former AHL goalie with the franchise through the 2028-29 season. In the announcement of the extension, Brandon Bussi commented on why he made the decision to sign this deal:
“A big thing is you look at the way our team is set up, and it’s an exciting time to be a Carolina Hurricanes fan because I think the players we have in our locker room, we have a great group and we have high goals. So, in terms of the stability, we have an opportunity to do something here, and being able to lock this in, now I just get to focus on hockey and do what I can to help this team win. (That) was important to me.”
Bussi has been one of the top goaltenders in all of the NHL. As we are on the Olympic break for the league, he is 23-3-1 with a .908 save percentage and 2.16 goals allowed average. He has split time in the net with Frederik Andersen this year, but has been the significantly more productive goalie thus far.
With the Carolina Hurricanes being tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the most points (78) in the Eastern Conference, Bussi is a major factor. In addition to this deal, the Hurricanes are also having their charitable foundation donate $10,000 to the Autism Society of North Carolina. This is because Bussi’s younger brother, Dylan, has autism.
This is a good contract for both sides as it gives security for Bussi while giving the Hurricanes a goalie for a low percentage of the salary cap. It also opens the door for him to lock down the starting goalie position long-term, as the 36-year-old Andersen is struggling and Pyotr Kochetkov is out for the season with a lower-body injury. It will be intriguing to see how this contract plays out for both sides.
