Zeev Buium’s slow start has become one of the talking points during the Vancouver Canucks’ nine-game skid, but the early returns do not call for panic. The club is in the middle of an expected rough stretch, and while ugly losses pile up, Buium is only one piece of a much bigger picture.
That said, the numbers have not been kind. He has three points, all assists, which has him tracking toward 21 points - well short of the pace expected from a player with his offensive ceiling.
When the season opened, projecting his output was no easy task, but the Canucks were clearly hoping for more. In an article predicting Vancouver’s top scorers this season, Buium was pegged for 53 points based on his role and talent, and plenty of observers figured he would already be producing at a higher level.
The frustration comes from the fact that Buium is supposed to be the defenseman with the most offense in the group. In a rebuilding year with little to lose, the expectation was that he would be put in positions to push the puck, create chances, and pile up assists.
Instead, his output has lagged, and the disappointment has shown up early among fans. There’s also a case to be made that the focus should be less on the stat line and more on whether he is making the right reads and plays, which remains very much a work in progress.
Manny Malhotra has clearly noticed the struggles. Buium has been dropped from the top pair to the second pair, and at times has slid even lower in the lineup.
There were even questions about whether he might be healthy-scratched based on the morning skate defensive pairs, though that never happened. He also spent a brief stretch off the power-play units before returning to quarterback the second group.
The reduction in role is a setback, no question. Still, it could also serve as a reset. A couple of months with less pressure might help him settle in and rediscover his game before the Canucks ask him to handle heavier minutes again.
Vancouver’s ability to do this also says something about the depth chart. The team has other options for premium usage, with Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander making strong early impressions. Pettersson has earned the top-pair role with his excellent defensive play, while Willander has briefly taken over the second power-play unit.
None of that changes the reason Buium is in Vancouver in the first place. He was the key piece in the Quinn Hughes trade, and the Canucks committed to the $9.38 million cap hit because they believe he can be that player.
His track record as a prospect backs that up. He produced at the University of Denver and starred for Team USA at the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships, winning gold both times and standing out on the blue line in both tournaments.
This is also worth keeping in perspective: Buium has played just 85 career games, and he is still a couple of months shy of his 21st birthday. Young defensemen can take time, and the bumps are part of the process. It has been a rough opening for him, but there is still plenty of season left to turn it around.
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For the Canucks, the appeal is obvious: he has the kind of age and skating profile that can fit a team trying to balance present needs with future value. The catch is that Washington is not expected to give him away cheaply, and any deal would likely have to come with a meaningful draft-pick return, which makes this more than a casual depth addition for Vancouver. [Read more 🡒]