Everything you need to know about Quinn Hughes' replacement
Photo credit: Sergei Belski - Imagn Images.
The Vancouver Canucks' front office may have struck gold with Quinn Hughes' replacement who they landed in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Friday evening.
The post-Quinn Hughes era officially begins on Sunday for the Vancouver Canucks and while fans of the team are still dwelling over his departure, for good reason, there's a lot to like with the return Patrik Allvin was able to land in a trade with the Minnesota Wild a couple days ago.
Marco Rossi, when healthy, will be Vancouver's second line centerman both right away and for the future, while Liam Ohgren is destined for a middle-six role, but it's defenseman Zeev Buium, the former University of Denver standout, who the Canucks are very excited about and believe can become a star in the National Hockey League.
Vancouver Canucks front office may have struck gold with Quinn Hughes' replacement
In an article for Canucks Army this week, prospects analyst Dave Hall gave some insight into what fans can expect to see from Zeev Buium as he looks to continue his strong rookie campaign in the Lower Mainland.
Hall believes Zeev Buium has top-pairing potential and could realistically be in that role right away as the Canucks begin a five-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils today and pointed to his skating as one of the best attributes of his game.
"But the reality is that Zeev Buium brings a ton to his game that screams an NHL top-pairing rearguard who could realistically take over the majority of the duties the former captain left behind. Perhaps not right out the gate, but in the not-so-distant future." Hall said.
He added, "While his skating may lack the certain explosiveness that the Vancouver faithful has grown accustomed to with Quinn Hughes navigating the ice, he uses strong edges and efficient pivots in all three zones. It may not be the cleanest, but he escapes pressure by shifting his weight rather than exploding past opponents, and he has no hesitation about joining the rush. In fact, he thrives off the rush."
He added, "While his skating may lack the certain explosiveness that the Vancouver faithful has grown accustomed to with Quinn Hughes navigating the ice, he uses strong edges and efficient pivots in all three zones. It may not be the cleanest, but he escapes pressure by shifting his weight rather than exploding past opponents, and he has no hesitation about joining the rush. In fact, he thrives off the rush."
Buium, a native of San Diego, California, made the jump to professional hockey with the Minnesota Wild in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after two solid years at the University of Denver and didn't skip a beat.
Heading into his first NHL season, there wasn't a ton of experts having Buium in the Calder Trophy mix, with guys like 2025 first overall pick Matthew Schaefer and Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov dominating that talk, but the 20-year-old blueliner could play his way into the mix with a strong finish to the year in Vancouver and currently sits ninth in rookie points with 14 (three goals, 11 assists) in 31 games.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 14|2424 ANSWERS Everything you need to know about Quinn Hughes' replacement Do you think Zeev Buium will be a long-term option on the top pairing for the Vancouver Canucks? | ||
| Yes | 2282 | 94.1 % |
| No | 142 | 5.9 % |
| List of polls | ||