Last week, Vancouver made a bold bet on Zeev Buium, signing him to an eight-year, $75.04MM extension that begins next season. They did so despite the blueliner only having 76 career NHL appearances under his belt. At a time when new benchmarks are being made regularly, Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest wonders if Buium’s new deal could serve as a viable benchmark for Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson. A 2024 first-round pick like Buium, Dickinson (selected one spot earlier) is also viewed long-term as an offensive defender, although he wasn’t quite as productive in his rookie year as Buium was. While an eight-year contract won’t be an option for Dickinson, if he takes a step forward in San Jose this season and shows more of his offensive potential, Buium’s contract could very well stand as a viable comparable when talks can begin about an extension next offseason.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
Veteran winger Dmytro Timashov is on the move once again. HK Nitra in Slovakia announced that they’ve signed the 29-year-old for the upcoming season. Timashov played in 45 games between three different teams, notching nine points and 95 hits. Since then, he has bounced around; this will be Timashov’s seventh different team and fifth different league since the 2022-23 campaign.
The Kraken have found their emergency goalie – or EBUG – for the upcoming season. In their recent training camp roster announcement, the team indicated that Dolan Gilbert will have the role in 2026-27. The 25-year-old spent a year at Concordia University Wisconsin at the NCAA’s Division III level before moving on to Michigan State University, though he played in just two games in two years with them, both coming last season. EBUGs are required to accompany the team to all games starting this year.