Should Vancouver Canucks Fans Be Concerned With The Play Of Zeev Buium?

Zeev Buium has had a less-than-ideal start to the 2026-27 season. The Vancouver Canucks defender has just one point in eight games and was recently demoted to the third pair. While it is still early in the campaign, as well as the rebuild, some are starting to get concerned about Buium. 

One of the driving concerns when it comes to Buium is his upcoming contract. He is still on his entry-level contract, but he signed an eight-year extension that carries a cap hit of $9.38 million starting next season. Even though he does have this massive contract upcoming, it does not make sense to worry about his performance once the deal kicks in at this stage of the campaign. 

As for Buium's on-ice play, there is reason to be a little concerned at this point. While the team is still generating chances with him on the ice in the offensive zone, his play in the defensive zone has not improved from last year. While turnovers aren't the best statistic, as they can be tracked differently depending on the area, it should be a concern that Buium has given the puck away 12 times already, according to the NHL. 

Buium is also getting caught out on the ice for long periods of time. While he is not the only reason this happens, there have been quite a few sequences where Vancouver can't clear the zone, and the opposition is able to continually cycle until a scoring chance is created. Even though Buium may not be the one to cause the giveaway, he has struggled to break up plays along the wall as well as win battles in front of the net. 

Despite some of Buium's struggles, there is no need yet to slam the panic button. It is important to remember that he is still 20, and that younger players struggling in their second year is something that happens across the sports world. The other reason is that this season is only eight games in, and the team is still adapting to Manny Malhotra's system. 

Rebuilds are supposed to be difficult by design. Mistakes are going to happen, and players are going to struggle. While he has a high pedigree, Buium is no different than most young players, as it is going to take time for him to adjust to life in the NHL. 

Going back to the initial question, fans should not be in a panic over the way Buium is playing. Yes, he is struggling, but it is way too early in the campaign and his career to start hitting the panic button. What is worth following, however, is the way he plays over the next few weeks and whether he can find his footing before the calendar flips to 2027. 

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