Zeev Buium has chosen Vancouver. He may not have been drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, but when he was given the first choice of his career, he chose to stay in the place that acquired him less than a year ago.

Sure, the organization may not be in a position to contend for a playoff spot for the first few years of his fresh eight-year, $9.38 million AAV extension, but being a Canuck is important to Buium:

“Yeah, I mean, it was pretty easy for me when they came with the offer,” Buium said to assembled media via Zoom. “It wasn’t a hard decision to make. I think personally, I wanted to be here for eight years. I didn’t want it to be shorter, and you know, I’m really glad. I love the city. I love the fan base. You know, I love where this organization’s going. As I said, I want to be a Canuck. I want to be here. The end goal is obviously a Stanley Cup, and hopefully bring that back one day. And you know, for all the years [I’m here], just really give the fans and everyone here in Vancouver something to cheer for.”

Buium was acquired here in mid-December in the blockbuster that saw the Canucks trade Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. Despite only playing in front of Canucks fans for 46 games last season, the lasting impression they made on him played a big part in him extending in Vancouver:

“I think the moment I got here and got traded here, the second I got to Vancouver, the fans, the people, my teammates, the organization, accepted me with arms wide open, and have treated me amazingly. I just think this place, this market and how passionate the fans are and the people are here, it’s really special. I think as a hockey player, as an athlete, that’s something that you love to play in front of; you love to do. I just think that’s something I couldn’t turn away from: a place I chose to be, and I want to be.”

Jumping from his $966,667 AAV entry-level contract to a $9.38 million cap hit next season will come with a completely different level of expectations. Once viewed as a near-league minimum player who could do no wrong, now there comes pressure to produce, and if development stays stagnant, that’s when fans can start turning on the player. However, Buium welcomes the challenge and believes that pressure is a privilege:

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think anyone’s going to put more pressure on themselves than myself. I’ve always believed in myself and what I can do and my abilities. The staff we have here and the people around this organization, I think only good things are to come. I think pressure is also a privilege in a way. You know, to be able to have that means you’re probably doing something right, and it’s something I take as a challenge and try to do my best with.”

While the pressure will eventually come, this new-Canucks regime just wants Zeev to keep being Zeev:

“I think the first thing they told me was just to not change who I am and be myself; keep coming to the rink and being Zeev,” Buium said when asked about contract negotiations with management. “You know, I really, really appreciated that from them. I think their vision and their goals for me and for the team moving forward really resonate with myself and what I see, what I believe, and what I want to achieve here over the course of the next nine years. It was all really great. And again, I can’t be more thankful to all of them. And you know, as I said, I just can’t wait to get going and just play hockey.”

Last season was difficult for the entire team, not just Buium. There were frustrating performances from the entire team that resulted in the Canucks sinking to the bottom of the NHL standings. The old regime left the organization in a difficult position with expensive contracts on the books for players who were underperforming and a prospect pool that was bleak to bear.

Given the state of the team, it didn’t look like there were many attractive pieces for players to want to stick around. However, some of the offseason changes and the new direction of the team are something that has Buium excited to be a Canuck for the next nine seasons:

“I think for me personally, obviously the management, RJ, the Sedins, you know, they’re incredible people first and foremost. Obviously they’ve played here; they know what it’s like, they played in the NHL for a really long time. I think just their direction, their vision, and what they see in this organization moving forward really resonates with what I believe.

“With the coaching staff, Manny, and all the guys. I mean, you hear from all the guys that have played for Manny, have been under RJ, you know, the Max Sassons of the world and Linus Karlsson, all those guys, the respect that they have for them, and how much they love them. Even a guy like [Brock] Boeser can attest to that and talk about a guy like Manny. So, to me, it was again the no-brainer, and you know, a really easy decision. I just can’t wait to be able to work with these guys for the next nine years.”