Vancouver Canucks Handle Tidy Business And Set A Precedent With The Zeev Buium Extension

The Vancouver Canucks signed defenseman Zeev Buium to a lucrative contract extension on Friday, handling a tidy bit of business for an important player of their future, while setting a precedent for future contract negotiations with other young stars in their organization. As the Vancouver Canucks embark on a full-roster rebuild that began in earnest last season, new GM Ryan Johnson is identifying pieces of the puzzle and investing in them for the long term. The 20-year-old Buium, who was traded from the Minnesota Wild last season in the blockbuster deal that sent superstar defender Quinn Hughes the opposite way, will see his new extension begin in the 2027-28 season. He played 45 games with the Canucks this past season, posting nine assists and 12 points. He also played 31 games with the Wild prior to the trade, notching 11 assists and 14 points.While Buium may never rise to the heights reached by Hughes, Buium’s extension does some key things for Vancouver: firstly, it ensures financial certainty for a dynamic young player with plenty of upside. Next, it gives Canucks fans hope that a new-look Vancouver team is on the horizon. Finally, it provides monetary security that will allow Buium to focus solely on hockey rather than his financial future.To be sure, there will be many days of misery still ahead for this Canucks franchise. But the beautiful thing about Buium for Vancouver fans is that the new extension shows the organization is doing things the right way and committing to the right type of player for the long term.If Buium doesn’t evolve into a true needle-mover, this extension will not age well. To be sure, giving this type of contract could be a bad gamble. But the centerpiece of the Hughes trade had some leverage in this contract negotiation, and Buium gets his commitment and the assurance he’ll be in B.C. for the long haul.Special defensemen don’t come along every day. So when a team is convinced a blueliner has what it takes to be a difference-maker, it makes sense they’d want to lock up that player’s financial future for as long as possible. That’s what Johnson’s deal with Buium has accomplished. There will be no offer sheets to worry about with him. There will be no trade demands, and per puckpedia.com, Buium’s new contract has a 15-team no-trade clause that begins in 2032, the sixth year of the eight-year contract. The team remains in control, which will empower management to be strong and capitalize on the lack of trade protection for the player.But before we get ahead of ourselves, Buium’s commitment to the Canucks franchise is a very positive development. This is still a season in which Vancouver will stay at the bottom of the league, but you have to take what you get, and you have to turn lemons into lemonade. That’s what the Hughes/Buium trade achieves. Two or three years from now, Buium’s contract could be seen as one of the better contracts in the league. The Canucks are still a few years away from turning it around, but rebuilding a team takes time. And with Buium on board for the next nine years.For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.