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Canucks summer faceoff: Which is more likely – Rossi produces 65 points or Buium records 40 points?
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Aug 26, 2026, 04:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 25, 2026, 17:34 EDT
For the third straight year, we are conducting a late-summer thought exercise. Over the next week, we will present a pair of options for the 2026-27 Vancouver Canucks season and ask you which is more likely to occur. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, of course, it’s impossible to know how things will go. So we will present cases for both scenarios, and we’re looking for your gut reaction to which one is more likely to happen by season’s end.
Which is more likely to happen: Marco Rossi records 65 points or Zeev Buium produces 40 points?
Marco Rossi
In his best season in the NHL so far, Marco Rossi registered 60 points. Now, it’s important to note that in that 2024-25 season in Minnesota, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy were among his most frequent linemates. Those are pretty solid NHL scorers, we must point out. Rossi won’t have that kind of support in his first full season with the Canucks.
But the 24-year-old Austrian showed down the stretch last season that he is a capable point producer when fully healthy, regardless of who he is playing with. In 25 games after the Olympic break, Rossi scored seven times and collected 20 points – wait for it…that’s a 65-point pace over a full season. Plus, the crafty playmaker was a big part of a Canucks power play that was second in the league over that span.
It’s certainly possible that Rossi is the early favourite to lead the team in scoring next season. But the question remains: what will his point total be? And can he get to 65 on a team that will quite likely struggle to score on many nights? It’s going to be a challenge, but Rossi may surprise some people as long as he stays healthy.
Zeev Buium
There is so much to like about the 20-year-old blueliner. And it’s important to remember that the San Diego native won’t turn 21 until early December. So he’s remarkably young and only getting better. But how much better will he be in his first full season in Vancouver?
Will Buium take the reins from Filip Hronek and run the team’s first unit power play at some point this season? Or will he have to bide his time for at least one more season? That will certainly impact his offensive output.
Buium had 12 points in 45 games as a Canuck and 26 points in 76 games overall in his rookie NHL season. Now we’ll see if he makes the leap from 26 to 40 next season. With just six goals on his NHL resume, Buium isn’t a huge threat to pull the trigger from the point. But he will likely work on that part of his game. Still, the bulk of his offence will come from his transition game and his playmaking. And because of that, he’ll depend on teammates to finish their chances in order to rack up points.
Buium’s growth will be one of the biggest stories on a rebuilding team. If he gets to 40 points, then he will have taken a massive step forward.
Which is more likely to happen?
Marco Rossi has a legitimate chance to play his way into the top line centre role on this hockey club. If he does, he’ll have earned additional ice time and the opportunity to add to his point totals. He should also be a regular contributor on a power play that has a chance to be a force for the Canucks. I think it’s going to be tough to take Filip Hronek off the team’s top unit at least in the early going of the season as Manny Malhotra looks for ways to find some stability with his group. That will cut into Zeev Buium’s bottom line. Buium should still see a healthy dose of top four minutes on the blueline and stand a very good chance to build on what he accomplished in his first season in the big leagues.
Verdict
As much as I believe in Marco Rossi as a playmaker, asking him to post career-best numbers in this environment seems a little far-fetched. I think a 55-60 point season for Rossi would be a huge success. That leads me to believe Zeev Buium has a better chance of reaching 40 points than Rossi does of reaching 65. I think there is a world in which Buium earns top power play minutes and makes the most of them. He certainly projects to be a defenceman who will one day far exceed the 40-point mark. This could be a huge stepping stone season along that path.
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