The Vancouver Canucks made their big swing on Zeev Buium, locking up the young defenseman on an eight-year extension that comes with a $9.38 million average annual value. It’s a hefty number, and by next season it will rank him 11th among NHL defensemen in salary. For now, though, the deal is less about what Buium has already done than what Vancouver believes he can become.
That belief is rooted in upside. Buium was the 12th overall pick in 2022 and is coming off his first professional season, one that saw him post 26 points in 76 games.
He was also one of the main pieces in the Quinn Hughes trade. The Canucks are betting on the kind of growth curve that can make an early overpay look a lot more reasonable once the cap keeps climbing.
The market is doing part of the work for them. With players such as Cale Makar and Bowen Byram landing major raises, defensemen are getting paid like premium assets, and teams are increasingly trying to buy up years before the price climbs even higher.
In Toronto, Chris Tanev is trying to get to training camp with a clean bill of health. After a season full of setbacks, the veteran defenseman wants a fresh start and a full runway into camp, but the Maple Leafs’ doctors still need to sign off before that happens. Tanev said, “We still have to check some boxes with the doctors…but the plan is for me to be out there day one of camp.”
Last season was brutal for him. Upper-body injuries, a groin injury and season-ending core muscle surgery limited him to just 11 games, the fewest of his career.
That kind of wear and tear has always been part of Tanev’s story because of the way he plays - hard, physical, and willing to absorb punishment by blocking shots - but nothing has stacked up like that before. Now he’s approaching his 37th birthday this winter, so durability will remain part of the conversation.
When he’s right, though, he’s still one of the league’s best shutdown defenders. Toronto has him under contract for four more seasons at $4.5 million, and he could be a key part of a blue line that now also includes Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae.
Elsewhere around the league, the RFA market remains one of the biggest storylines of the offseason. There are still seven restricted free agents unsigned, and the question is whether any of them drift into training camp without new deals.
Cutter Gauthier is one of the biggest names still in play. He reportedly passed on a four-year deal worth $13 million and is still pushing for more. Leo Carlsson’s $18 million number appears to have set the tone, and Gauthier’s camp is believed to be working toward something in that neighborhood.
The Athletic’s Eric Stephens wrote, “There’s motivation for both sides to get a deal done, and the fact that communication continues…is a positive sign.” Aaron Portzline added on Fantilli, “I suspect something gets done later this week or early next…My guess? Five years at $13.5 million a season.”
That doesn’t sound like a recipe for a holdout, though nothing is locked in yet.
There are still other names to watch. Simon Edvinsson and the Detroit Red Wings are waiting on a new general manager before moving ahead with their negotiations, but that deal is expected to be manageable. Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned in Carolina and is reportedly seeking more than $8 million; the Hurricanes have the cap room to make it happen, even while they’ve also been shopping him in the trade market.
Montreal has a pair of unsigned RFAs in Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc. Xhekaj has been in trade discussions this summer, but if the Canadiens keep him, a deal should not be difficult. Bolduc’s next contract could go short term, or the two sides could find a mid- to long-term arrangement that works for both.
Brennan Othmann is also still without a contract with the Calgary Flames, and his next deal is expected to be a short-term, low-cost one.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Still Have One Big Blue Line Worry Before Camp
Torontos offseason overhaul touched nearly every corner of the roster, but the blue line remains the area worth watching as camp approaches. The Maple Leafs brought in Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade deal to help stabilize the defense, part of a wider reset that also included a new general manager, a new coaching staff and several personnel changes around the club.
Chris Tanev is still the question mark hanging over that plan. After dealing with multiple injuries last season, the defenseman is waiting on medical clearance before he can join team activities, and his availability for the start of training camp is still uncertain. For a group trying to reset its identity on the back end, the Leafs can only do so much planning until they know whether one of their most important veteran defenders will be ready on time. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Already Have A Cap Squeeze With Another Problem Looming
The Maple Leafs are already dealing with a familiar kind of summer pressure, sitting $2.75 million over the projected cap for next season and needing to clear room before the roster can even be considered compliant. That alone would make for a tricky enough bookkeeping exercise, especially for a team that still has to keep one eye on flexibility for whatever comes next.
Complicating matters is the contract situation around Gavin McKenna, whose deal carries potential bonuses that could drive his cap hit much higher if he hits certain performance milestones. For Toronto, it means the margin for error is thin, and every roster decision has to account not just for the present squeeze but for a possible extra hit later on. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Knies Could Spark Torontos Biggest Lineup Debate
Matthew Knies has given the Leafs a legitimate reason to reconsider how they arrange their forward group. His most productive stretches have come alongside Auston Matthews, and the underlying numbers have backed up what the eye test suggests, with a stronger goals-for rate there than in combinations with William Nylander or John Tavares. For a team always trying to balance its top-end talent, that kind of fit matters, especially when Knies brings a mix of physical play and a growing ability to make plays rather than simply finish them.
The real debate is whether his game is best served in the top six or as the driver of a deeper line where he can tilt the ice in a different way. Knies showed more of that playmaking side when Matthews was injured, which only adds another wrinkle to the discussion about where he belongs once the lineup is fully healthy. Jim Hiller will ultimately decide how aggressive he wants to be with the forward combinations, and the answer could shape one of Toronto's most important depth questions. [Read more 🡒]