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What Zeev Buium said after historic Vancouver Canucks debut

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
Dec 14 2025, 9:36 pm
What Zeev Buium said after historic Vancouver Canucks debut
@Canucks/X

It didn’t take long for new Vancouver Canucks defenceman Zeev Buium to make an impression.

The 20-year-old made his Canucks debut on Sunday afternoon, just two days after he was traded to the team from the Minnesota Wild as part of the massive Quinn Hughes deal. It was a deal that left a sour taste in the mouths of some Canucks fans as they bid farewell to their former captain and arguably the best defenceman in franchise history.

Buium was seen as the centrepiece of the trade package coming back to Vancouver, and he delivered on those expectations in his very first period with the Canucks. The California native managed to pick up a goal and assists in the first period against the New Jersey Devils, including the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory.

“At the end of the day, it’s just hockey, and you gotta go out there and play our game,” Buium told Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy in the first intermission. “Not going to be Quinn Hughes right away, but I’m working toward that, and I wanna be the best player I can be.

“I know [Hughes] is a great player, but I believe in myself, and I believe I can bring stuff like that to this team. Just wanna do it as soon as possible.”

Not only was it a stellar first impression for Buium and his new team, but it was also a historic one for the Canucks franchise. He became the first-ever defenceman in franchise history to record multiple points in the first period of his Canucks debut, and just the third to score multiple points in his debut game altogether.

Buium told Canucks reporter Olivia McDonald after the game that the transition from Minnesota to Vancouver has been fairly smooth.

“Right when we got here yesterday, everybody welcomed us so easily and arms wide open,” Buium said. “Makes it a little bit easier on the ice, feeling comfortable, and nice to see our power play click there.

“Little bit of a lucky goal, but we’ll take them.”

Buium’s first point with the Canucks was an assist on a Jake DeBrusk power-play goal just over a minute into the game. That is now the fastest of any player in franchise history to record their first point with the Canucks in their debut.

Not too bad for a player who only has 36 NHL games under his belt.

It may have only been a two-point performance, but it now sticks out as one of the best debuts in all of Canucks’ history.

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