249 days ago, Brandon Bussi was driving his way up I-95, preparing to join the Charlotte Checkers for his third professional season in the AHL. It was his first time joining a new team, as the undrafted netminder had been with the Boston Bruins organization since signing with them out of college, but he was excited for the opportunity. Little did he know though that he was about to receive a call that day that would change his entire life. Fast forward to the present and Bussi has become a mainstay name in the NHL. The 27-year-old "rookie" took the world by storm following the Carolina Hurricanes' October waiver claim, setting multiple league records for wins to start an NHL career. Bussi's opportunity was almost designed by fate too, as it took a different waiver claim, an injury and a career-worst season for him to be thrust into the spotlight, but the way he's thrived in the moment is nothing short of marvelous. "We thew him in, if I remember, in San Jose and he just played well," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "It wasn't even that. It was the fact that he made some big saves at real big moments of the game. Then he did that the next start and the next start." But even after an outstanding and surreal season, the Sound Beach, NY native took a backseat in the postseason for steady veteran Frederik Andersen. That proved to be the right call, as the Danish goaltender led the Hurricanes all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, with only a single loss on his record through three rounds, but the championship proved a different task. Andersen struggled through the first three games, and after surrendering four goals in the second period of Game 3, the Hurricanes pulled him and threw in Bussi. The move almost proved to be a series turning juncture, as the team proceeded to erase a four-game deficit, with Bussi turning aside 18 straight shots, including a Mitch Marner penalty shot. "There was no reason to leave Freddie in there the way that game was going," Brind'Amour said. "But he gave us a little boost." Ultimately the Canes lost that Game 3 on a one in a million bounce off of the end boards, but the way Bussi played still gave the team confidence to throw him back out there for a pivotal Game 4. "He's a guy that was given an opportunity," Brind'Amour said. "Everyone always talks about opportunity, but you have to do something with it and he's done nothing but earn every start that he's had." And in the end, Bussi proved the decision makers right, shutting the door on multiple huge chances to get his team back into the series. "He was phenomenal," Brind'Amour said. "We got a taste of it the other night and he kind of just picked up right where he left off, I thought. We gave up a couple breakaways early and just some breakdowns and he was just really solid all night. Have to give him a lot of credit." The way Bussi has played, you'd never guess that this was his first year in the NHL. You'd especially never think that these were his first tastes of Stanley Cup Playoff hockey, let along Stanley Cup Final hockey. Yet he never gave even an inkling that the moment felt too big for him. "Honestly, I was pretty even keeled," Bussi said. "I think these are the moments you want to be playing in, right? Just put my head down and have fun with it." 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