The Vancouver Canucks are keeping one of their young stars around for the long-term. The Canucks have announced that they have signed defenseman Zeev Buium to an eight-year, $75.04 million contract extension. Starting during the 2027-28 season, the 20-year-old defenseman will carry a $9.38 million cap hit.
The Canucks acquired Buium last season as part of the trade that sent Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. Buium was viewed as the main piece that Vancouver got back from Hughes, and they have now locked him up for a very long time because of it. This is a bold move for the Canucks, as Buium is a young defenseman who is still developing his game at the NHL level.
However, the 2024 first-round pick has a ton of potential, so it is entirely understandable that the Canucks are taking such a gamble on him. If he hits his full potential and blossoms into a legitimate top-pairing star defenseman, this contract would end up being a steal for Vancouver. In 76 games as a rookie last season split between the Wild and Canucks, Buium posted six goals, 20 assists, and 26 points.
Overall, the San Diego, California native showed good promise this campaign, and it will now be interesting to see what he does during his second NHL season after landing this monster contract extension.
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