Canucks Sign Zeev Buium to 8-Year Extension

This was a move that many analysts and insiders expected to get done, though for fans, the steep salary may come as a bit of a shock. This was ultimately an important move to make, and even though Buium is somewhat unproven at this stage in his career, it’s a great thing that the Canucks will have such a high-potential piece as part of the team for nine more seasons, barring a trade.

Impressive Potential

There’s little question that Buium has the potential to live up to this deal. He very well could be one of the biggest breakout stars not just on the Canucks, but in the entire league. Offensive-focused defencemen have incredible value in today’s game, with every contending team looking to lock up a player on the blue line who can chip in offence and contribute to the power play.

As a prospect, Buium showed exceptional skill. He had an unreal stint at the University of Denver, scoring at a point-per-game pace as a defenceman in each season there. He was essential to the team’s run as National Champions in 2024, which just so happened to be his draft year. He also was incredible at the World Junior Championship, as he was all over the ice, playing solid defence while running the offence both at five-on-five and on the power play. It’s not a stretch to say he was the player who looked the best in the tournament, as his elite wheels and hockey sense were on full display.

Buium will likely have a real opportunity to showcase his skill set this season. He will likely be the quarterback on the Canucks’ power play and seems to be in line to run the top defensive pairing alongside Filip Hronek. 

Similar Contracts

Even though the salary cap is constantly going up, deals at this price tag for players like Buium are still rather shocking. He has played only 76 NHL games, with 45 of those being for the Canucks. He’s only put up 26 points in those games, which definitely is not the mark of a player making nearly $10 million. 

However, we have seen in recent years somewhat unproven players get big deals and live up to them. One example is Juraj Slafkovsky, who signed an eight-year deal with a cap hit of $7.6 million despite his career high being 50 points in the season before inking the extension. While this contract looked questionable at the time, there isn’t one Montreal Canadiens fan or NHL front office that would view this as an overpay. 

Another contract that may draw comparisons to the Buium deal was the Anaheim Ducks signing of Pavel Mintyukov, who agreed to a $7.2 million cap hit for five years despite having a career-high of 28 points as an offensive defenceman. 

At the end of the day, teams are paying for how these players will perform across the deal, as opposed to what they have shown in the past. A contract like Buium’s is an investment, and there’s a chance that with a rising cap, in a couple of seasons it will look more like a steal.

An Important Move

Extending Buium for eight years is a major swing taken by the Canucks, and is ultimately the right move. Especially in a contract landscape where young players are taking shorter deals, this keeps a player with tons of talent in the organization for eight more seasons after this next one.