The Carolina Hurricanes have reached the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, yet they have consistently fallen short of capturing hockey’s ultimate prize. Much of that frustration can be traced to instability between the pipes. However, following Brandon Bussi’s stellar NHL debut Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks, Carolina may finally have found a long-awaited solution in goal.
The Hurricanes are exhibiting shades of the Colorado Avalanche
Before Darcy Kuemper arrived for the 2021–22 season, the Colorado Avalanche were among the NHL’s elite, yet they repeatedly stalled in the second round of the playoffs. Much like the Hurricanes, their Achilles’ heel was goaltending. From Semyon Varlamov to Calvin Pickard to Philipp Grubauer, the names changed but the results did not.
Even with Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Andre Burakovsky leading a dynamic offense—combining for 89 goals and 138 assists that year—the team’s championship aspirations were undermined by uncertainty in net. Colorado entered the season as a Stanley Cup favorite, but in hindsight, their early exit was hardly surprising. Once they finally secured a true difference-maker between the pipes, they immediately captured the championship.
Last year, the Canes had Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Shayne Gostisbehere. And although they traded Martin Nečas late in the season, he was also ranked third in team scoring for Carolina, which is insane in retrospect. Frederik Andersen, however, was an issue for them in the conference finals, though the entire team never stood a chance.
Sure, they got eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, but there’s no denying that Andersen is simply not an elite goaltender, and in order for the Canes to make a serious run at a title, they knew they had to get something cooking. Well, it appears something already is.
Bussi Shines
Bussi stopped 16 of 17 shots in Tuesday’s 5-1 victory over the Sharks.
Although he wasn’t tested heavily, he didn’t seem intimidated by the moment and was superb when he needed to be. The lone blemish came on a William Eklund strike in the second period. The 27-year-old netminder has been with Carolina since being claimed off waivers from the Panthers just before the season began.
He’s serving as Andersen’s backup while Pyotr Kochetkov recovers from a lower-body injury. Andersen is expected to get the nod Thursday against one of his former teams, the Anaheim Ducks. While some may be quick to dismiss this as mere luck, history shows that remarkable stories often unfold when least expected—and there are plenty of compelling examples in the league.
Take Scott Wedgewood, for instance. Long regarded as a career backup, the 33-year-old thrived after being traded to the Avalanche last season, posting a 13–4–1 record with a career-best 1.99 goals-against average in 19 regular season appearances. With Mackenzie Blackwood sidelined due to surgery, Wedgewood has elevated his game to an entirely new level.
When evaluating Bussi, it’s important to remember that he’s six years younger than Wedgewood, which naturally works to his advantage. As for the fact that he was waived by Florida, that move was less an indictment of his ability and more a reflection of circumstance. Bussi wants to be a starter, and with Sergei Bobrovsky firmly entrenched in the Panthers’ crease, that opportunity didn’t exist.
As mentioned, goaltending has long been the Canes' Achilles’ heel. If Bussi continues to impress, he could earn enough trust to challenge for the starting job. Either scenario would represent a meaningful shift for Carolina, potentially providing the stability in net that has eluded them, giving the franchise a legitimate chance to capture its second Stanley Cup.