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32 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\nHaving witnessed the revolution in National Hockey League player economics over the summer, Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson made a huge calculated bet two weeks ago when he signed Buium to an eight-year, $75-million-USD extension \u2014 about a million dollars for each of the 20-year-old\u2019s 76 NHL games so far.<\/p>\n
That contract is part of the league\u2019s rapidly-changing financial landscape, although Buium was adamant on Friday that it doesn\u2019t change him or his development path.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve said this a bunch: every guy in the NHL, every guy that plays professional sports, the most pressure comes from us \u2014 ourselves,\u201d he said when asked if the heft of his new contract changes expectations. \u201cI don’t really think the pressure from the outside ever gets to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always want to outplay your contract, and whether you’re making $15 million or $2 million, it doesn’t matter. I think if I can play to my capabilities and come out every night feeling like, you know, I\u2019ve played my best, I think I will like my results. It has nothing to do with my contract; I want to be the player I want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
That attitude is partly why the Canucks were willing to go all-in on Buium, the centrepiece of the return from last December\u2019s trade of Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.<\/p>\n
When Buium\u2019s contract was announced, Johnson told reporters: \u201cThis contract isn’t about Zeev the player today or tomorrow. It’s where we see him in three, four and five years. This is now a journey and we’re going to support him.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the Canucks\u2019 pre-training camp press conference this week, both Johnson and head coach Manny Malhotra re-iterated the new regime\u2019s belief that patience is paramount to player development, and no prospect is going to be rushed to the NHL before he is ready.<\/p>\n
But Buium is already in the NHL after splitting his rookie season between the Wild and the Canucks, and even in the final season of his original, entry-level contract, the defencemen\u2019s development is going to be conducted in the best league in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll treat him like we would any other guy,\u201d Malhotra insisted Friday after the second day of camp here. \u201cThere\u2019s obviously a great deal of patience that goes into helping a young player develop at the right pace. People will look at the contract and have certain expectations, whereas for us, we continue to talk about building the foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognize he will make mistakes like any other young guy in this league does. But we\u2019re just going to continue to encourage him, support him and develop his game as a whole with the mindset of: What\u2019s he going to look like in two and three and four years?\u201d<\/p>\n
What Buium looks like in camp is a super-talented sophomore who can skate and move the puck but still has a lot of growing to do.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, after playing most of his five-on-five ice time last season alongside top Canuck defenceman Filip Hronek, Buium has been partnered at training camp with 36-year-old Luke Schenn in what appears to be the third pairing.<\/p>\n
Malhotra has cautioned against making any conclusions about deployment based on a couple of days of camp practices, but assigning Buium to Schenn could be one sign of the organization\u2019s patience with their prized prospect and desire to lighten any pressure that might come with signing the biggest contract in franchise history for a defenceman.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, we all know how good a defenceman Quinn was and has become in this league, and how special he is,\u201d Schenn told reporters on Thursday. \u201cYou don’t want to compare anyone, but obviously, Zeev has an incredible skill set and toolbox himself, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching him from a distance when he first broke in with the Wild and how he kind of stepped in and ran that power play in the (2025) playoffs, and then watching him a little bit last year and following the trade a little bit, you can just tell how great his upside was. He understands the locker room and gets what it’s like to be a pro, and he puts in the work. Just a tonne of confidence. He’s kind of proven (himself) at every level, and he’s going to make great strides here in the NHL. We’re relying on him big time, and yeah, I feel fortunate to get to play with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Incredibly, Schenn was the Canuck defenceman who shepherded Hughes into the NHL in 2019. Schenn then left the Canucks \u2014 twice \u2014 before signing as a free agent on July 1 for his third stint in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess when I was a young guy, I had a great mentor and guys who I played with,\u201d Schenn said. \u201cI played with Tomas Kaberle for a few years (in Toronto), and then Kimmo Timonen in Philly. I just remember how they treated me, and their wisdom and veteran presence, and how they rubbed off on me. Now, it\u2019s kind of role reversed where you maybe mentor someone else. I feel like I’m the lucky guy who gets to play with these young guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is papa bear,\u201d Buium smiled. \u201cHe’s such an unreal human, you know? Just has so much experience around the league. He doesn’t treat me like a young guy; he just treats me like a player and a person. I think that’s something we really needed \u2014 just a guy with that presence who you can talk to at any time. He’s just one of those guys that you’re lucky to have on your team if you get to play with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Schenn does his job well, Buium may not play with him for long.<\/p>\n
32 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\n
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.<\/p>\n