Zeev Buium:
Since arriving to the Canucks, Buium has seen a jump in minutes from 18:28 to 20:18, a significant amount of ice time per game for a 20 year old defenceman.
Buium has been on the Canucks second defensive pairing alongside Tyler Myers, but more importantly has been quarterbacking the Canucks power play as the only defenceman on the top unit.
Buium will be given plenty of runway at an opportunity to become the Canucks top defenceman long term given his draft pedigree and offensive abilities from the point. It has been a decent start with the Canucks for Buium, as he has posted three points in seven games, including two power play points.
Ultimately, with the Canucks seemingly in rebuild mode, they will be patient with the young defenceman and allow him to mature and develop, and provide him the reps and opportunities to do so until he shows the team he cannot.
Kiefer Sherwood & Evander Kane:
With Quinn Hughes traded to the Minnesota Wild, the Canucks front office is clearly signalling that they are going into the direction of what will likely resemble a rebuild.
With that being said, veteran players on expiring contracts tend to be expendable in these situations, and Kiefer Sherwood and Evander Kane are definitely players who contending teams will be trying to acquire leading up to the trade deadline in order to make a deep playoff run, given their ability to score goals, be depth contributors, and play tough hockey.
Alternatively, the Canucks could also opt to re-sign Kane or Sherwood if they can gain good value or if they do not like any of the trade offers they get.
Elias Pettersson:
The Highest paid player on the team, the longest tenured team member outside of Brock Boeser, and arguably the most talented player on the team. Pettersson will now have the opportunity to lead the Canucks as the de facto face of the organization, coming off of arguably the worst season of his career.
Pettersson’s game has improved this year, as he has seen slight increases in points per game and shots on goal per game, areas where he needed to assert himself more, but with the spotlight on him and the pressure that comes with playing in a hockey hungry market will Pettersson own the opportunity or squander it?
There is nothing in the way of this now being Pettersson’s team going forward, and if the Canucks are able to continue adding solid young players around Pettersson, who is just 27 years old himself, it is definitely possible that Pettersson is still a solid piece of the puzzle for the Canucks when they are in a position to win again.
Pettersson will be representing Sweden at the olympics, and perhaps playing on a loaded team Sweden with other star players will bring out the best in him, but as of the last few seasons there is much left to be desired in Pettersson’s game before we can absolutely say he will be part of the Canucks winning solution long term.