Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium reacted to signing a massive contract extension with the hockey club.
The Canucks inked the 20-year-old defenseman to an eight-year, $75.04 million deal that pays him $9.38 million per season.
It’s a big bet on Buium, but it’s one that the Canucks feel is worth taking for the talented young defender, especially with the NHL salary cap rapidly exploding.
Zeev Buium Reacts to Extension
Speaking to NHL.com after signing his huge contract extension with Vancouver, Buium reacted to signing the massive deal.
“It was pretty easy for me. When they came with the offer it wasn’t a hard decision to make. Personally, I wanted to be here for eight years, I didn’t want it to be shorter, and I’m really glad. I love the city. I love the fan base. I love where this organization is going, and I want to be a Canuck, I want to be here, and hopefully the end goal is obviously a Stanley Cup, and hopefully bring that back one day, and through all the years just really give the fans and everyone here in Vancouver something to cheer for,” Buium said.
“The moment I got here and got traded here, the second I got to Vancouver, the fans, the people, my teammates, the organization accepted me arms wide open, and have treated me amazing and I just think this place and this market and how passionate the fans are and the people are here, it’s really special. I think as a hockey player, as an athlete that’s something that you love to play in front of, you love to do, and like I said, I just think that’s something I couldn’t turn away from and a place I chose to be and I want to be.”
Canucks GM Reacts to Signing
As well, Canucks GM Ryan Johnson shared his reaction to giving Buium the bag.
“It’s something that we felt strongly in Zeev, in his pedigree, he’s a proven winner. This contract isn’t about Zeev the player today or tomorrow. It’s where we see him in three, four, and five years and so it was something that we felt if both sides could come in agreement and make a commitment to each other, it was something we’d be excited to get done,” Johnson said.
“We’ve seen his journey over the years, partly last year of not just his play but who he is as a person. He brought such an energy and a leadership type quality that you really don’t find in a lot of 20-year-olds, which is astonishing and so, yes, it was a lot about his play and where we see he can go. He’s 20 years old, 21 in December, and understand — and he and I just had a conversation about it — that this is now a journey and we’re going to support him and there’s going to be adversity and there’s going to be ups and downs, but he’s going to make mistakes and he’s going to have stretches but we’re very confident in what he’s going to be as a player.”
Zeev Buium Reacts to Signing Monster Extension With Canucks