The Bruins have made a move involving a goalie! No, it’s not a Linus Ullmark trade. It’s not a Jeremy Swayman extension either.
Boston general manager Don Sweeney announced on Monday that the team has signed Brandon Bussi to a one-year, two-way extension that carries an NHL cap hit of $775,000.
If the Bruins do in fact trade Ullmark, Bussi may very well be in the pole position to win the backup job behind Swayman. The 25-year-old would need to beat out Providence Bruins teammate Michael DiPietro and perhaps a veteran free-agent signing.
It’s worth noting that Bussi would need to clear waivers in order to be sent to AHL Providence this season. The “two-way” part of the contract just means that he will be paid a lesser salary in the AHL than he would be if he’s in the NHL.
Bussi went 23-10-5 in the AHL this past season with a .913 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against average. Those numbers were down a little from his 2022-23 AHL season, but he did finish the year strong, posting a .926 save percentage over his final 10 starts.
As for Ullmark, the trade rumors continue to swirl on that front. The Ottawa Senators still appear to be the most likely destination. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen added to his reporting on the topic on Monday, noting that Senators general manager Steve Staios doesn’t want to trade for Ullmark unless the two parties have a contract extension in place. Ullmark is entering the final year of his contract, so that makes sense.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported late last week that Ullmark would be willing to accept a move to the Senators even if they’re one of the teams on his no-trade list. Garrioch previously reported that the Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights have shown interest in Ullmark as well.
Defenseman Jakob Chychrun and draft picks remain potential pieces the Bruins could get in return from Ottawa. The Senators own the seventh and 25th picks in the first round of this year’s draft, which begins Friday night.
The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa also mentioned center Shane Pinto as a possibility in an article posted Monday. We brought up Pinto as a potential trade target last week. Here’s what I wrote about him:
Pinto is a 23-year-old restricted free agent and had 27 points in 41 games this past season after serving a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy. He has size (6-foot-3), he’s a good skater, he plays defense, and he’s over 50% on faceoffs. His offense probably tops out more as a No. 2 center than a No. 1, but at least there’s some potential for more there.
If Ullmark is going to get traded, it will most likely happen this week, before the draft and the start of free agency on July 1.
UPDATE : Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reported Monday night that an Ullmark trade with Ottawa "is going down," but that the return is not yet known.
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