Hurricanes goalie, once a waiver-wire castoff, cements future with new contract
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- Bussi signed a three-year, $1.9M-per-season extension with Carolina.
- Claimed off waivers Oct. 5, 2025, Bussi posted a 23-3-1 record and 2.16 GAA.
- Hurricanes pledged $10,000 to the Autism Society of North Carolina; mask honors Dylan.
One of the best stories in the NHL this season just got better.
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi has been given a three-year contract extension that will pay him an average of $1.9 million a season, the team announced Monday.
The Canes also said the team will make a $10,000 donation to the Autism Society of North Carolina. Bussi’s younger brother, Dylan, has autism and Brandon’s goalie mask is a tribute to Dylan and meant to raise awareness.
Bussi has gone from a goalie placed on waivers by the Florida Panthers last October to the Hurricanes’ most dependable netminder. Claimed off waivers on Oct. 5, Bussi has posted a 23-3-1 record, with a 2.16 goals-against average and .908 save percentage for the Canes, who led the Metropolitan Division at the league’s break for the Winter Olympics.
“It’s crazy,” Bussi said Monday on a media call. “I think if you told me back in October, I’d be like, ‘Sure, that will never happen.’ But I think the hockey world can work in mysterious ways in some sense. I’m fortunate I got an opportunity and that Carolina sees me the same way I see myself being here.
“I’m very happy, to say the least, that I get to be here more time.”
Bussi beat the San Jose Sharks, 5-1, in his NHL debut on Oct. 14 and posted his first NHL shutout Nov. 30 against Calgary. He matched a franchise record with nine consecutive wins between Oct. 30 and Dec. 19, and became the fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach 10 wins.
Bussi appeared in 111 career AHL games with the Providence Bruins, going 63-31-13, and was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2022-23. He played collegiately at Western Michigan, where he was 46-25-5 before going pro.
Bussi signed with the Panthers as a free agent after last season and was driving to Charlotte to join the Charlotte Checkers, Florida’s AHL team, when he was informed he had been claimed off waivers by Carolina. The Canes had placed goalie Cayden Primeau on waivers with the purpose of sending him to the AHL Chicago Wolves, taking Bussi in case Primeau was claimed — which he was, by Toronto.
“It’s difficult to break into the league and sometimes different opportunities pop up in different ways,” Bussi said. “Mine happened in a way that doesn’t happen for a lot of people.
“There’s a lot of good hockey players out there and things happen for a reason. That’s kind of been my motto, and I’m very fortunate it gets to happen here for longer.”
Bussi has emerged as the Canes’ top goalie, teaming with veteran Frederik Andersen. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov underwent what might be season-ending surgery in late December.
“Before we brought him to Raleigh, Brandon had been successful at every level from the USHL to college to the AHL,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said in a statement. “Given the opportunity at the NHL level this season, he’s proven to be a winner here, too. We are thrilled that he will continue to provide a steady presence in the crease for this team into the future.”
Now, Bussi has a new contract and considerably more financial security.
“I think we have the potential to do some very exciting things here over the next few years,” Bussi said. “It felt like a no-brainer when this became an option to explore and make it happen.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2026 at 2:52 PM.
