The Vancouver Canucks find themselves in a situation where, for the first time in a while, the pressure is really off. The team will actually have enough runway to prioritize the growth of its emerging core.
And with that runway, comes the opportunity for its next great defenseman to truly surface as a bona fide top-pairing NHL blueliner.
That’s why the Canucks may already have their next star defenseman in Zeev Buium.
Buium came with plenty of expectation. He was one of the key pieces, if not the main piece, in the Quinn Hughes trade. While it may be unfair to task Buium with being Hughes’ replacement, at least right now, the 20-year-old has an opportunity to help fans forget about Hughes.
And Buium will have that shot this upcoming season. First-year coach Manny Malhotra should give the former first-round pick every opportunity to show what he can do. If he can embrace that role, the Canucks might just have one heck of a blueliner on their hands.
Yes, there may be an inclination to just play Buium 25 minutes a night. But there’s one thing that the Canucks must prioritize this season over winning: Development.
That’s one of the advantages of being a rebuilding organization.
Canucks Need to Prioritize Buium’s Development
The biggest mistake the Canucks could make with Buium would be deciding that he has to become their No. 1 defenseman immediately.
There is certainly a temptation to do it.
Vancouver is rebuilding, and Buium represents one of the most intriguing pieces of that future. If he looks ready for bigger minutes, more power-play responsibility and tougher matchups, the Canucks should absolutely give him those opportunities.
But there needs to be a limit.
At 20 years old, Buium is still figuring out what it takes to play against NHL competition every night. There may be stretches where he looks like the team’s best defenseman. There could also be nights when the game moves a little too quickly for him.
That’s perfectly normal.
The Canucks need to resist the urge to interpret every mistake as a problem or every strong performance as proof that Buium needs 25 minutes a night.
Development isn’t always linear.
If Buium isn’t quite ready for a top-pairing role right away, Vancouver needs to be comfortable with that. The organization has a much bigger objective than simply finding out how good he can be this season.
It needs to find out how good he can become.
What to read next:
Buium Doesn’t Have to Become Makar Yet
The good news for the Canucks is that there really isn’t a rush.
Vancouver isn’t in a position where Buium needs to transform into a Norris Trophy candidate immediately for the team to succeed. The organization is rebuilding, which gives the young defenseman something extremely valuable: time.
A successful season for Buium doesn’t necessarily mean becoming Vancouver’s undisputed No. 1 defenseman.
It could simply mean taking another significant step.
Maybe he becomes the team’s primary power-play option. Maybe he starts playing against better competition. Perhaps he earns more responsibility late in games. He might even finish the season looking like someone who could eventually become the Canucks’ defensive cornerstone.
Those would all be victories.
The comparison to players such as Lane Hutson and Matthew Schaefer will inevitably come up as those young defensemen establish themselves around the NHL. Buium has the talent to enter that conversation, but Vancouver shouldn’t make the mistake of turning development into a race.
There is no prize for becoming the best defenseman at 20.
The real prize is having a legitimate star defenseman when the Canucks are ready to contend.
And if Buium can steadily work his way toward that level, Vancouver may discover that its next great defenseman was sitting right there all along.
Canucks May Have Their Next Star Defenseman Already