The Vancouver Canucks have a plan. Part of that plan is Zeev Buium leading the way on the blue line for another eight years. This better work.

Zeev Buium Signs On

While there wasn't a rush to sign the 20-year-old, there was a little bit of pressure from the NHL itself. After the 15th, players won't be able to sign an eight-year contract, and with that contract comes stability. Plus the ability to spread big numbers over a lot of years, which is nice for everyone.

The Deal

Cap Hit: $9.38 million/year
Duration: Eight years

Buium didn't exactly light the world on fire with his scoring last season as a rookie. He had had three goals and 12 points in his 45 Vancouver games, and three goals and 14 points in 31 games with Minnesota before that. That hardly sounds like a $9 million man, but between the chaos of his new team and the skill he clearly has, he's a pretty safe bet.

If worst comes to worst, he's still going to be a good second-pair defenceman, if a bit light for one. At best? We'll see in a few years, but the money is literally on his becoming the unquestioned Number One on a contending team. So no pressure.

There are some curious details in this contract. Notably, the money is almost entirely in base salary, with bonuses being paid in the first two years alone. The bonuses are $6 million in the first year, $5 million in the second, then the base jumps to $10 million in the third.

That sort of structure is an agent's version of trade protection. Buium might not reach the numbers the team wants in those first few years, and if they aren't successful, it's a modest barrier against an easy trade/salary dump.

Buium doesn't get any protection until his free agent eligibility years, so not until 2032-33. After that, he has the expected no-move clauses. However, if the team does want to move him, his salary is a stable $8.4 million from 2030-31 on. Any team looking to buy will know what they're paying - and, at 25 years old, what they're paying for.

Next Steps

So what we have here is a deal that locks the player in for the next eight years, which the team wants, and gives the player trade protection, which he wants. It also gives him a truckload of money - if not a dump truck, at least an F-350's worth. But was it the right amount?

Is Buium half of a Cale Makar? Right now, somewhat less of one, if we're being honest. But Cale Makar is also seven years older and has obliterated the point-per-game mark since he was 23 years old. He's going to carry his $20+ million cap hit well into his 30s. One might better ask if Zeev Buium will be half a Makar in another three years. And that, at least, is the plan.

Now obviously, as any professional moves up in their field, the talent is rarefied and the paycheques get appropriately higher. It's the difference between the Hall of Fame and the Hallway of Very Good. Players at the very top can, and should, get paid a LOT more than folks in the next tier. But a team full of the Very Good is awfully dang hard to beat.

It's going to be hard for Buium to reach anything close to Makar's numbers anytime soon. Since the year before Makar joined the team in 2018-19, the Avalanche have had a .644 points percentage and have never missed the playoffs. Zeev is not joining such a team. If he did suddenly hit point-per-game numbers, you kinda gotta hope it's because he got injured after two games. Vancouver needs losses right now.

Which is the safety valve in the deal. We can wait for Buium to improve, along with the Canucks, because the plan isn't to win this year. Or next, or the one after that.

THIS year, he's going to keep learning the NHL game, with a skilled, longtime NHL veteran beside him. Ideally, he'll gain special-teams experience, eventually taking Filip Hronek's spot on the first power-play unit. If all goes according to plan, Hronek could be tradable the following year for a generous return in the offseason or at the deadline.

The Money, Frankie! What About the Money?

What, you're worried about a piddling $75 million?

Okay, yes, that's a good chunk for a player who's still waiver-eligible. But with it starting in 2027-28, his cut will be just 8.3% of the cap's projected $133.5 million. And it will only go down from there. By the time the Canucks are looking to actually compete - maybe in his final year of this deal - how little will this be?

None of this means the contract is without risk for Vancouver. Buium hasn't produced big numbers yet, obviously. And at six feet, 185 pounds, he's considered undersized for a team's top defender. Buium's play is built around deception and quick decisions. To get the most out of him, he'll need players who can take advantage of that, and frankly, that might be a while yet.

He thinks the game better than he skates it, which can lead to overthinking, which can get a player caught thinking. Assuming he stays paired with Hronek - which he should - neither has much of an intimidation factor. Another part of the game to watch coach Malhotra manage is Buium's minutes late in clearly lost games. Garbage time is when players further down the lineup look to make themselves memorable. Manny will have to make sure that doesn't come at Buium's expense.

The Canucks will want a player like the one Buium can be in a few years. He just has to survive until the team around him catches up.