The Carolina Hurricanes look to be in line to see an NHL debut tonight as goaltender Brandon Bussi is slated to make his first career start in San Jose after being the first to leave the ice at Tuesday's morning skate.
The 27-year-old goalie has bided his time, even dressing as the backup for a handful of games over his three year professional career, but the ultimate opportunity is now before him.
"He's been great," Hurricanes goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder told The Hockey News. "Good in practice, he has a great attitude, good work ethic. Obviously I didn't know him personally before he got here, but he's been great and has fit in real well. He's worked hard and I think if he shows what he does in practice in a game, then he'll be fine."
It's been quite a month for Bussi, who has gone all the way from an AHL reassignment to the Charlotte Checkers to now playing in the NHL, all in the span of nine days.
Bussi signed this summer with the Florida Panthers after three seasons with the Boston Bruins organization, but he was among the final cuts from the defending Stanley Cup champs, and so he and his fiancée packed the car and headed up north to join the Cats' AHL affiliate.
One phone call from Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky, though, changed everything.
And luckily for him, it wasn't too hard to make a slight adjustment east to Raleigh.
"The hockey world can be crazy at times and that call was a special moment for me, my fiancée and my family, everyone involved," Bussi told The Hockey News. "Any day you're in the NHL is a privilege so I'm pretty pumped to be here."
The next day, the Hurricanes' assumed third-string goalie Cayden Primeau was claimed off of waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs and then another day later, Hurricanes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov was sidelined with a lower-body injury.
Life has a funny way of working out like that sometimes.
Bussi hasn't had a ton of time to get acclimated with his new team, but he said that everyone has welcomed him with open arms so far.
"It's a great locker room," Bussi said. "And everything from the top down, management, coach, players, staff, everyone has made me feel super welcome and just like another one of the guys."
But another aspect of the game that he hasn't had too much time to get used to either, though, is getting familiar with how the team in front of him plays.
That's where Schonfelder comes in.
"As far as the team goes, we talk a little bit about systems and what he can expect, stuff on the PK," Schonfelder said. "But mostly, it's been about me getting to know him on an individual level. Sometimes it happens quick and obviously Brandon got here pretty quick, so just trying to get an idea of what makes him tick and how he likes to play certain things, so when it's game time, he can just go out there and play. The process isn't over yet, to be honest with you, but you just do your best to get caught up and see how it goes."
However, the Hurricanes have historically done pretty well when bringing in a third or even a fourth goaltender throughout a season.
With injuries to Kochetkov and the Hurricanes wanting to avoid wearing out starting netminder Frederik Andersen this early into the year, the team really has no choice but to give Bussi his shot, but it's one they feel he is ready for.
"He was somebody I identified in the summertime," Schonfelder said. "He obviously ended up signing in Florida, but he was somebody who was on my list of people to go after. I had him down as somebody who, he obviously played down in the American league for three years, but is ready to make that jump to the NHL. I feel that's where his game is at right now."
Bussi has 111 games of AHL experience under his belt with the Providence Bruins, where he posted a 63-31-13 record along with a 0.915 save percentage and eight shutouts.
"He looks good," Brind'Amour said. "Big guy. Hopefully we're not going to be relying on that too much, but if we do, we have a lot of confidence in him."
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