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Can Zeev Buium establish himself as one of the game’s top young defencemen in 2026-27?
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Aug 19, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 18, 2026, 20:36 EDT
There was a time not that long ago when Zeev Buium was considered a true top-calibre defence prospect.
Drafted 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft, Buium’s final season of college hockey ended up being one of the most productive modern NCAA campaigns by a defence prospect. As we wrote about Buium earlier this month: In the same number of games (41) Buium put up just one fewer point than Cale Makar did in his sophomore season — 48 for Buium, 49 for Makar. Buium also posted a higher points-per-game mark than Quinn Hughes did in his sophomore season — Hughes 1.03, Buium 1.17. His sophomore point totals outpaced defencemen like Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy, Owen Power, and Jake Sanderson. As a result, Buium has been regarded by many as one of the premier prospects in the sport, and it’s also why he was the focal point of the Quinn Hughes trade.
Prior to the trade, Buium wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire with the Wild in his rookie NHL campaign. In fact, Buium shared that when he got the trade call from Wild GM Bill Guerin, he at first thought he was being sent down to the AHL. Through 31 games with Minnesota, Buium put up 14 points while being paired mainly with Zach Bogosian. After the trade to the Canucks, Buium took on a larger role, but put up just 12 points in 45 games.
So the big question for Buium, as we continue along in our series of season expectations for Vancouver Canucks players: Can he (re?)establish himself as one of the game’s top young defencemen in 2026-27? We’ll get to that. But first, what are we expecting from Buium this season?
Meeting Expectations: Buium holds his head above water defensively, come in around 30-40 points
In his rookie season on the whole, Buium put up 26 points in 76 games. His rookie season is looked at by most as a disappointment, meaning higher point totals seem to be a fair expectation for Buium in 2026-27, especially when considering what he did in college.
But point totals aren’t everything, especially for a young defenceman. An area we expect to see Buium improve in 2026-27 is in his defensive game. Last month, Harman Dayal and I had a very interesting conversation with The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler on an episode of Canucks Conversation.
One of the things Wheeler, who watched Buium plenty in college, noted was how Buium has begun to second-guess himself when defending at the NHL level, and how that’s led to some serious struggles:
“I know he had a hard time defending at the NHL level and that is going to continue to be an area of emphasis for him, but he was actually an excellent defender in college and at the World Juniors,” Wheeler said. “He was a very busy defender in college, glued himself to opponents’ hips and played tight gaps. When you get to the NHL, that’s the hardest style of defending to play. If you lose your confidence and start sitting back and giving guys space, then it’s a tricky game and we saw that last year.“Part of that is strength, part of it is players are naturally stronger and quicker at the NHL level,” Wheeler said. “But defending was a really strong part of his game. He took time and space away from the very best players in college hockey across two seasons and I think he’ll get there defensively. He may never be a lockdown guy, but I think he’ll be above average, and if he’s above average defensively and high-end offensively, that’s a top-end player in this league.”
In 2026-27, we expect some better point totals from Buium and a better defensive game, which hopefully can be accomplished now that he’s out of the pure chaos that was Adam Foote’s systems, which seemed to make everyone but Filip Hronek second-guess themselves.
Below Expectations: Buium repeats his rookie season numbers, doesn’t take a step defensively
Let’s make this our shortest section. A below-expectations season for Buium would look like him not taking a step in the right direction after a somewhat disappointing rookie NHL campaign: 25 points or less, not being trusted outside of sheltered minutes, those kinds of things. But nobody wants to see that. He’s far too important of a prospect for the Canucks at this juncture. Let’s get to what exceeding expectations looks like for Buium in 2026-27.
Exceeding Expectations: Buium becomes the can’t-miss PP1 option, puts up 50+ points, plays against tough competition
There was a time in which Quinn Hughes wasn’t getting regular reps on the Canucks’ first power play unit when he first arrived in Vancouver. Instead, franchise icon Alex Edler, who was in the twilight of his career, was getting those opportunities. Some vocal voices in the market, the late Jason Botchford being one of the most memorable, were asking Travis Green outright why the Canucks weren’t giving Hughes those looks, and the answer was always some combination of not wanting to “give Hughes too much too early”, respecting Edler, and so on and so on.
But at some point, it became undeniable that Hughes was the Canucks’ best option at PP1 quarterback, because Hughes ran with every opportunity he was given.
Down the final stretch of last season, we saw a healthy dose of Filip Hronek on the Canucks’ first power play unit. Now, some (myself included) believe the rebuilding Canucks should feed big minutes and opportunities to their key young players, who need to hit their ceilings if this rebuild is ever going to end in a Stanley Cup. To me, that means prioritizing Buium getting looks on PP1, even if, right now, Filip Hronek might be the better option. But not everyone is going to agree with that take or that logic, so part of exceeding expectations for Buium in 2026-27 is doing what Hughes did when he was a youngster still earning his keep. Exceeding expectations would see Buium run with every opportunity he gets on the man advantage and at 5v5 until there’s no real debate to be had that he should be out on PP1 over Hronek, based on merit alone. Just like Hughes did, once upon a time.
One would also think, in theory, that getting those special teams minutes and being a true first-pairing defenceman alongside Hronek almost all season long could result in some more eye-popping point totals. That’s why, for Buium to exceed expectations and establish himself as one of the NHL’s more intriguing young defencemen, he would have to play top-pair minutes, become a can’t-miss PP1 option, and put up 50 or more points.
What a sophomore season that would be for Buium, who won’t turn 21 until December.
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Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$86,185,833
$62,923,333
Projected Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Current Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Active Players
23/23
13/23
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'26
'27
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