Novel Or Epic? Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi Can Cap Off The Best Story Of The NHL Season With A Stanley Cup
After spending three-plus years in the Boston Bruins' system without a single NHL call-up, Brandon Bussi was ready for a change of scenery. But he didn't expect that opportunity would come in North Carolina.
On July 1, the 27-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers. With Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo entrenched as the Bruins' primary tandem and his creasemate, Michael DiPietro, delivering solid numbers with AHL Providence, Bussi saw the Panthers offer him a situation with greater upside and a higher minor-league salary than he'd ever earned with the Bruins.
"I was excited to go to Florida and see what was going to happen there," Bussi said. "They treated me really well during training camp. I had a good camp, and I liked the people that were there. But hockey can work in mysterious ways, right?"
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Bussi believes that his experiences along his unconventional journey have prepared him for the pressure-cooker that is the best hockey league in the world.
"Even going back to junior, there was a lot of grinding – a lot of success and a lot of failure," he said. "But I think when failure or things that don't go your way happen, it's good for you as long as you take it in stride and make a positive out of it. I've seen a lot of things. Nothing really shakes me. I'm fortunate to be with a team that is driven to want to win, and it doesn't matter how you win in the end. It just matters that you get it done."
Brind'Amour agrees: "He was ready for it, and he's never really looked back. It's been a good story for us and for him, and we obviously hope it continues."
In February, Bussi, who's making the NHL minimum this year, signed a three-year, $5.7-million contract extension that guarantees him an NHL-level salary into his 30s and a level of job security he has never had before. But the charter jets, elite cuisine and five-star hotels that define NHL life have not erased the fond memories of his journey to the big time.
"That stuff is nicer than the American Hockey League," he said. "But I do partially miss those bus rides. That's where you did a lot of bonding because you're with your team in a tight space for so long. But yeah – obviously the food and the flights make things a little easier."
This article appeared in The Hockey News' Playoff Special 2026 issue.
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM.