The Canucks Need to Give Zeev Buium Room to Grow

There’s a funny thing about being a young defenceman in Vancouver. Everybody wants you to be the next great Canucks defenceman, preferably yesterday. Zeev Buium is only 20, but the expectations are already pretty big. Vancouver picked him up in the Quinn Hughes trade, and the organization clearly sees him as an important part of its future. Then came the eight-year, $75.04 million contract extension.

That’s a pretty strong vote of confidence in a young player. It also brings a lot of pressure. Buium has shown why the Canucks believe in him. He’s an offensive defenceman who can move the puck, carry it up the ice, and help create chances. He’s got plenty of hockey ahead of him, and Vancouver was willing to make a big commitment for a reason.

But he’ll also make mistakes. That’s part of the deal when you’re developing a young defenceman, especially one being asked to handle important minutes in the NHL.

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For Young D-Men, Mistakes Are Part of the Story

Buium’s recent turnover against the New York Islanders was the sort of play that gets noticed. And fair enough. At this level, mistakes can end up in the back of your net, and young players have to learn to make better decisions under pressure. But here’s where I think we need to be a little careful.

It’s easy to look at a mistake and wonder whether a young player is ready for the job. It’s harder to remember that the only way some players learn to handle those situations is by being given the responsibility in the first place. Buium won’t become a finished product simply because the Canucks have made a long-term commitment to him. That contract reflects what Vancouver believes he can become, not a promise that he’ll get everything right at 20.

And he doesn’t have to become Quinn Hughes. That’s an awfully high bar to set for anybody. What the Canucks need to do is help Buium develop into the best defenceman he can be. That means coaching him, holding him accountable, and allowing him to learn from the occasional rough night.

Vancouver Fans Have to Be Patient

I know patience isn’t always easy for hockey fans. We want young players to succeed, and when the organization makes a big investment, we naturally want to see the payoff. But development isn’t linear. Sometimes a player takes a step forward, makes a mistake, and has to work his way through it. That doesn’t mean the original belief in him was misplaced.

Buium has a lot to learn, and the Canucks have a responsibility to help him learn it. They can’t lower their standards, but they also can’t expect a 20-year-old defenceman to play like a 10-year veteran every night. For me, that’s one of the interesting things to watch in Vancouver this season. Not whether Buium makes mistakes — he will — but how he responds to them, and how the organization responds, too.

The Canucks have invested in his future. Now comes the hard part: giving him the time, coaching, and opportunity to grow into it.

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