Linus Ullmark is still a member of the Boston Bruins at the moment, but the club very possibly inked his replacement on the roster on Monday.
The B’s signed goalie Brandon Bussi, 25, to a one-year, two-deal worth a cap hit of $775,000.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan in the spring of 2022, the Sound Beach, New York native has yet to play in the NHL but has proven to be a good netminding prospect in Providence.
In his first full pro season in 2022-23, he was 22-5-4 with a .924 save percentage and 2.40 goals against average. This past season, he was 23-10-5 with a .913 save percentage and 2.67 GAA.
Though Bussi would appear to have the inside track on the backup job, it would not be a shock if the B’s also signed a veteran backup as they did two years ago when they inked Keith Kinkaid while a young Jeremy Swayman was still proving himself.
Swayman, now the presumptive No. 1 goalie, is a restricted free agent, still needs to be signed. That number promises to be a big one, most likely close to $8 million a season. But with Bussi’s low budget deal, the B’s could well be allocating similar dollars to the position as they did in 2023-24.
That scenario, of course, is reliant on the B’s dealing Ullmark and his $5 million cap hit for next season. The Ottawa Senators, whose rebuild has been stalled in part because of glaring issues in net, seem to have the keenest interest in acquiring Ullmark, with the Sens’ second first round pick (25th overall) and/or possibly offensive defenseman Jakob Chychrun coming back. Ottawa also has the seventh overall pick. The B’s are without a pick in the first three rounds of this weekend’s draft.
But the two sides have not been able to consummate a deal, with an extension for Ullmark possible complicating matters. Perhaps the B’s are trying to squeeze Ottawa for that seventh pick, which the Sens are unlikely to cough up. It could very well come down to brinksmanship on Friday in Las Vegas, when the first round of the draft takes place. The Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings could also be in the market for a goalie.
Meanwhile, there’s a lot more on GM Don Sweeney’s plate between now and the start of free agency on July 1.
The B’s have seven unrestricted free agents who were regulars they’ve yet to sign, the most prominent of whom is winger Jake DeBrusk. While still an inconsistent scorer, the B’s have developed DeBrusk into a well-rounded player who is one of the first over the boards for the penalty kill. While team president Cam Neely talked about adding speed to the lineup at the team’s annual post-mortem press conference in May, DeBrusk is one of the team’s fastest forwards. He’s also proven to be a good playoff performer, leading the B’s in playoff scoring in the spring (5-6-11 in 13 games).
But the closer we get to July 1 and he’s not re-signed, the greater the chance he goes elsewhere and there’s another hole to fill.
Other UFAs-to-be are Danton Heinen, Patrick Maroon, James van Riemsdyk, Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk.. Of that group, Heinen would appear to be the player the B’s would most likely want to re-sign, though a deal has not happened yet. Milan Lucic, who played just four games before suffering an injury and then getting arrested for an alleged domestic violence incident (the charges were later dropped) is also a UFA that the B’s are not expected re-sign.
Whatever happens, it should be an eventful couple of weeks for the B’s as Sweeney tries to retool his team into a legitimate contender again. But unlike last summer, he’s got some money ($21 million under the cap) with which to play now.
