After practice on Monday, Vancouver Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra said defenceman Zeev Buium is still learning the league in his development process.
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Vancouver Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra said after practice on Monday that defenceman Zeev Buium remains in a “learning” phase, even after the club changed his defensive pairing and moved him to the third pair.
Buium, 20, has recorded one assist in 10 games this season for the Canucks, and this off-season he signed an eight-year extension with an annual average value of $9.38 million while also being named to the leadership group.
Malhotra acknowledged outside debate around Buium’s role, but said the focus is on long-term growth rather than short-term results. “Well, you call it a shelter role; he's a 20-year-old defenseman learning the league,” Malhotra said. “So, for all the words that I've heard thrown out there, demotion or shelter role, he's still learning his game. He's learning the league. So, not something that we didn't expect to occur for a 20-year-old defenseman. This is just a part of the growing process for him.”
When asked whether increased pressure tied to his contract and expectations has affected Buium, Malhotra said the team is directing him toward “the long game.” “Potentially, that's a reason. But from our standpoint, we've made it very clear to him that we are focused on the long game. You know, the day-to-day of what pairing you're on and how many minutes you're getting, we don't want to be short-sighted in that regard and put pressure there. He understands that we're focused on his overall growth for year 2, 3, 4, and 5, kind of thing.”
The Canucks’ plan for Buium’s development is tied to the team’s broader rebuild, with Malhotra emphasizing that his progress is a key factor in whether he can become a top-pair defender and a leader as the club builds toward playoff contention.
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