Zeev Buium just signed the richest contract for a defenseman in Vancouver Canucks history. The organization's message afterward was still patience, patience, patience.
GM Ryan Johnson locked up the 20-year-old to an eight-year, $75,000,000 extension two weeks ago, roughly a million dollars for each of Buium's 76 NHL games so far.
Buium posted 26 points in 76 games last season, going minus-33 while splitting his rookie year between Minnesota and Vancouver.
"This contract isn't about Zeev the player today or tomorrow. It's where we see him in three, four and five years," Johnson said when the deal was announced.
Buium himself downplayed any added pressure from the number attached to his name.
"The most pressure comes from us, ourselves. I don't really think the pressure from the outside ever gets to me," Buium said.
He's the centerpiece return from Vancouver's trade of Quinn Hughes to Minnesota last December, a link that follows him everywhere he goes now.
Why Vancouver paired him with a 36-year-old veteran
After playing most of his five-on-five minutes last season alongside Filip Hronek, Buium has been skating with 36-year-old Luke Schenn on what looks like Vancouver's third pairing in camp.
Hronek posted 49 points in 82 games last season, so this pairing shift with Schenn appears designed to lighten the spotlight on Buium rather than reflect a lineup demotion.
Schenn actually shepherded Quinn Hughes into the league back in 2019, giving him a unique perspective on mentoring a young defenseman tied to that same comparison now.
"He is papa bear," Buium said of Schenn. "He doesn't treat me like a young guy, he just treats me like a player and a person."
Head coach Manny Malhotra reiterated that no prospect gets rushed under this regime, even one already three seasons into his NHL career and locked into a $75,000,000 deal.
Buium trained this summer with Auston Matthews, Clayton Keller, and Cutter Gauthier, soaking up habits from established stars rather than trying to become the next Quinn Hughes.
"I want to be my own player and get that narrative away from me," Buium said. Whether that happens starts showing up the moment real games count again.
Will Zeev Buium live up to his massive eight-year contract with the Canucks?
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