Zeev Buium finished his Canucks season with 12 points in 45 games.
As the Vancouver Canucks enter their rebuild, one player who will be front and center is defenceman Zeev Buium. The 20-year-old recently wrapped up his rookie season, where he recorded 12 points in 45 games with the organization. A key part of the return for Quinn Hughes, Buium is already entertaining fans as he was voted the "Most Exciting Player" this past season.
The 2025-26 season presented new challenges for Buium. Not only did he have to learn how to play in the NHL, but he was also traded midway through the campaign. During his year-end media availability, Buium was asked about his season and what some of his takeaways were from his first year in the NHL.
"I think it was kind of a roller coaster for me personally," said Buium. "Getting traded and not knowing what's to come. And I think there's been a lot of negatives, been a lot of positives. I think for me personally, it's fun to see how we ended this year, and see the guys really start to come together and be excited for next year. That we kind of have that foundation now. So hopefully we can start strong next year, and build something special here."
When Buium was traded, he went from a Minnesota Wild team with Stanley Cup aspirations to a Vancouver team that sat at the bottom of the standings. This meant more nights coming up on the wrong end of the scoresheet, which was new for the American defenceman who has won at every level during his career. As Buium explained, even though the results were not there, he believes the group kept pushing hard all the way to the end.
"I think it's, you're in Minnesota, the younger guys on the team there have 300, 400 plus games, so it's a completely different team. But I mean, we're all in this together right now. We're all learning every day from our mistakes. I think we're learning something new every day, too. I think that just comes with time and experience. And I think obviously, yeah, losing sucked, but I think we gave it our all. I think every night we tried our best to win. And obviously, it didn't happen every night, but I think we tried. I mean, sitting here right now and, you know, going through the year, we just had, you're not gonna sit here and you know, be like, oh, everything was good. We won this game or that game. And I think for us, just not trying to focus on that and more focus on how do we limit the mistakes we've made. How do we get better as a team and find ways to win games our own way. And I think toward the end there, we started to try to figure that out. Like I said, I think the biggest thing is just trying to take positives and the negatives and use them."
One of the issues this season for the Canucks was their play in the defensive zone. The structure was lacking on most nights, which resulted in Vancouver finishing the season having allowed a league-high 314 goals. When asked about the team's defensive play this season, Buium explained how the team can improve in its own zone next season.
"I think, trusting each other, trusting the system. I think personally, sometimes when you get tired or frustrated or whatever it is, you miss your guy, or you miss a certain play, because you're heads somewhere else. I think for me personally, just staying focused, staying in the moment. Giving all you can in the D zone, and maybe given that extra five, 10 seconds of going a little bit harder and knowing that if you get the puck, then you're playing offence again. So I think the biggest thing is just trusting each other and trusting the system and putting belief into that. If we do these things the right way, we'll defend less."
Lastly, Buium was asked what he learned about himself this season. The transition from the NCAA to the NHL is never easy, especially when you have to learn a new system and organization partway through the year. According to Buium, one of the biggest challenges was on the mental side, especially in a season that did not go as planned.
Apr 7, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium (24) handles the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images"I think, as a player, learned a lot about my game. Thought I started to kind of find my confidence toward the end of the season and kind of learn what I can and can't do. When to push the pace, when to sit back a little bit. I think I'm gonna obviously continue to learn that and think those are kind of the biggest things. I think, personally, just learning how to stay positive and not beat yourself up. I think it's easy, especially as hockey players. I mean, you play so many games a season. You're playing a game, then you're flying on the plane, on the road to wherever, and you have so much time sometimes to think about the game you just played, or whatever. And sometimes, you can beat yourself up about it. I think I found ways to just keep pushing through and stay positive and just try to see the light in the tunnel."
Buium is projected to be a significant piece of the Canucks organization for the foreseeable future. He is eligible to sign an extension this off-season, but when asked, stated, "I think that's something that's a conversation for later." Ultimately, Buium has a bright future, with the potential to become a top defenceman in the NHL.
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