The Bruins and Jeremy Swayman finally finding common ground and coming to terms on an eight-year deal was just the start of what was a busy day for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney.
And for the Bruins, the moves came on the waiver wire, with five players in total placed on waivers for the purpose of assigning them to AHL Providence with Boston’s Opening Night roster due by 5 p.m. Monday.
Beginning in goal, and with Swayman inked to be Boston’s No. 1 goaltender ahead of Joonas Korpisalo, the Bruins made the difficult decision to place Brandon Bussi on waivers.
In what was a make-or-break camp for the 6-foot-5 goaltender, with this being the first camp where Bussi required waivers to be sent down to the minors, the 26-year-old had a strong finish by way of Saturday’s 30-of-32 performance in Boston’s preseason finale.
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Brandon Bussi (30) waits for play to begin during the second period against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
Whether or not Bussi clears waivers will be worth watching here, really, as he was an AHL All Star during the 2022-23 season, and has the size that teams tend to covet in goal. There’s also a ton of shuffling on the goalie front around the league, with Bussi far from the only goalie on the wire Sunday, and he has the legitimate chance to be ‘found money’ for a rebuilding club given his upside and league-minimum salary.
If Bussi clears, he will report to the AHL for another run with Providence, where he posted a 23-10-5 record and .913 save percentage in 41 games a year ago.
Jan 10, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Jiri Patera (30) before the game against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports)
Along with Bussi, the Bruins also placed Jiri Patera on waivers just days after claiming him off waivers from Vancouver.
The 6-foot-3 Patera arrived in Boston on Thursday and got in just one practice with the club on Friday, and did not appear in Saturday’s preseason finale, and actually did not appear in the preseason at all between the Bruins and Canucks.Β The Czech-born netminder has eight games of NHL work to his name, and posted a 3-3-1 record and a .902 to his name over the last two seasons with the Golden Knights.
Last year, Patera made six appearances for Vegas, and posted a 1-3-1 record and .893 save percentage in the NHL, along with a 11-10-4 record and .903 save percentage in 25 games for AHL Henderson.
Nov 9, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrick Brown (38) skates against New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (28) during the first period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
Up front, the Bruins placed both Patrick Brown and Jeff Viel on waivers for the purpose of an AHL assignment. Two veteran ‘tweeners’, Brown actually posted two goals during his preseason run with the Bruins this time around, while Viel’s most notable contribution came with a fight against the Kings’ Andre Lee.
Brown is coming off a 2023-24 season that saw him record an assist and 25 hits in 11 NHL appearances with the Bruins, while Viel is a newcomer to the organization after he scored 17 goals and 40 points, and racked up 142 minutes in penalties, 69 games for AHL Manitoba a year ago.
Oct 5, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Capitals left wing Andrew Mangiapane (88) and Bruins defenseman Billy Sweezey (58) battle for the puck in the first period at Capital One Arena. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)
On the backend, the lone cut on Sunday came with defenseman and Hanson, Mass. native Billy Sweezey placed on waivers by the club. A physical, right-side option, Sweezey put up an assist, five shots on goal, 11 hits, and nine blocked shots during his four-game preseason run with the club.
