The Vancouver Canucks checked one major item off the list on Friday when they locked up defenseman Zeev Buium on an eight-year extension. That deal gives Vancouver one of the NHL’s top young blueliners and comes with the second-largest cap hit in franchise history.
But the work isn’t done.
With Buium signed, the Canucks now have to turn their attention to winger Liam Öhgren, who is eligible for an eight-year extension for just 10 more days. Once September 15, 2026 passes, that option disappears. Öhgren is also part of the Quinn Hughes trade, and he’s headed toward restricted free agency at the end of the campaign.
For Ryan Johnson and his staff, the message is simple: find a way to get Öhgren on a max-term deal before the clock runs out.
The logic behind these long-term contracts is easy to see. Teams take on a bigger cap hit early, but if the player grows into the talent they project, the back half of the deal can become a bargain. Just as important, an eight-year pact keeps a player out of free agency during what should be his prime years.
Öhgren has already shown enough in a short time with the organization to make the case. In 51 games last season, he put up 18 points, flashed chemistry on a line with Marco Rossi and Brock Boeser, and added a little bite with 40 hits. He also scored two game-deciding goals in the shootout.
That’s why an eight-year deal with an AAV around $4.5 million would make sense for Vancouver. Öhgren is expected to be a key part of both the present roster and what comes next. If the Canucks let the deadline pass without getting that contract done, it could come back to haunt them later.
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For Rty, though, the next step is less about one tournament and more about proving he can stick as a full-time NHL player. He enters the 2026-27 season focused on sharpening his skating and rounding out the rest of his game, with offseason work alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sebastian Aho adding to the intrigue. Manny Malhotra will be the one guiding him now, and for a player trying to turn promise into permanence, that makes this a camp storyline worth following closely. [Read more 🡒]
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For Canucks watchers, it is another reminder of how quickly prospect plans can shift when NHL openings do not materialize right away. Ilya Safonov has a contract option to return to the KHL if he does not win a spot in Vancouver, while around the Pacific Division, Flames GM Craig Conroy has already said Calgary does not intend to keep adding PTO players beyond Alex Nylander for camp. The roster race is still taking shape, but for prospects on the fringe, the next decision often matters as much as the camp itself. [Read more 🡒]