The Vancouver Canucks host the San Jose Sharks on December 27.
Saturday night will feature an intriguing game at Rogers Arena. For the first time since the Quinn Hughes trade, the Vancouver Canucks will play a game in front of their home fans. This means Canucks nation will finally get the chance to see Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren and Marco Rossi live while wearing Vancouver jerseys.
Based on line rushes at Rossi is expected to play on a line with Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk, while Öhgren will be with Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson. As for Buium, he will once again be skating on a pair with Tyler Myers. After the morning skate, all three players met with the media to discuss the trade and how excited they are to join the Canucks organization.
Starting with Buium, he was what many people consider the centrepiece of the trade. The 20-year-old defenceman was drafted 12th overall in 2024 and is already up to 17 points in 34 career games. Buium was asked about the trade and mentioned how it was nice to be able to settle in before playing his first game in his new home.
"It's been good, said Buium. "I think it obviously happened really fast, and I think it was kind of nice actually being on the road, get to know the guys a little better and stuff. So that was nice and nice to have a couple of days to kind of relax and take everything in."
Since the move, Buium has three goals while averaging 20:36 of ice time. He is also running the point on the first power play. Ultimately, Buium sounds excited to make his home debut and is ready to show the fans exactly why Vancouver traded for him.
"Yeah, it feels weird. I mean, I think, you know, we played here early, but it's a different feeling now that you're the home team. So I love it though. I mean, the facilities, everything's amazing. So it's been great."
Moving over to Öhgren, he has made a strong first impression with the Canucks. He has two goals and an assist in his first three games while averaging 10:33 of ice time. When asked about the team, Öhgren explained his excitement level of joining one of the youngest groups in the NHL.
"It's a younger group," said Öhgren. "It's exciting, and I'm just trying to play my game and do what I can do best. I'll definitely try to get better every day and try to get more opportunities and all that stuff. So I'm looking forward to what's ahead. And like I said, I'm happy to be here."
Öhgren already has a few connections within the organization. The 21-year-old grew up in the same Swedish organization as Jonathan Lekkerimäki while playing with both Tom Willander and defenceman Elias Pettersson at the World Juniors. As Öhgren explained, having a handful of Swedish teammates has been helpful as it has allowed him to settle into the team more easily.
"Yeah, I think that's pretty sure. It's a lot easier when you can speak your own language, and especially when you know a few of the guys already. So it, for sure, helps a lot."
Lastly, Rossi is a player the Canucks have attempted to acquire for a while. According to a report from Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, Vancouver and the Minnesota Wild almost made a trade for the 24-year-old ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft. It may have taken a few months, but in the end, the Canucks found a way to get their new second-line center.
"Yeah, it's been crazy for sure, said Rossi. "You don't really see it coming with the trade, but I'm very happy to be here. The break was kind of nice, and very happy to be here."
Since the trade, Vancouver has gone 4-1-0 in five games. As for Rossi, he has one assist while averaging 20:13 of ice time. Overall, Rossi has provided the group with more depth down the middle, which, for the last five games, appears to have given the group a spark.
"It's been really good. You know, we've been winning. That's the most important thing. Just try to, obviously, keep growing together as a group and keep winning."
The Canucks will look to keep their post-trade momentum going on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. Vancouver won all four meetings last year and has just one loss to the Sharks since the start of the 2021-22 season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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