( Photo Credit: Tessa McAndrews / Providence Bruins )

By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter / X @BlackAndGold277

Per National Hockey League Insider Elliotte Friedman yesterday, the Boston Bruins placed goaltenders Brandon Bussi and Jiri Patera on waivers as the organization continues to wind down their opening day roster by 5pm this evening. Patera is heading back to the Vancouver Canucks as the organization re-claimed him, and netminder Bussi successfully cleared waivers and presumably headed to the American Hockey League Providence Bruins.

Providence kicks off its regular season this week as the top minor-pro affiliate of the NHL Bruins faces the visiting Laval Rocket at the Amica Mutual Pavillion this Friday night. The Providence Bruins announced this afternoon that the team had assigned Ryan Bichel to the ECHL Maine Mariners and released Kasimir Kaskisuo from his tryout agreement. This means that the goaltending tandem in Providence could be Bussi and Michael DiPietro, who also cleared waivers recently.

The 6′-4″, 218-pound Bussi has yet to appear in an NHL game but has spent the last two seasons in the AHL as an undrafted netminder out of Western Michigan. In 78 career AHL games, the New York native has a 48-17-9 record with three career shutouts, a 2.55 goals-against average, and a .918 save percentage. DiPietro, who spent his first full season in Providence last year, posted an 18-9-2 regular season record with four shutouts, a 2.51 GAA, and a .918 Save%.