Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Wild have looked like a team ready to break out at times this season. Jesper Wallstedt has been unreal in net, and Filip Gustavsson has done just fine as well. John Hynes has looked to keep the good times rolling, and things got a whole lot more exciting this week.
General manager Bill Guerin woke up on Friday and decided to shock the hockey world. Utilizing the equivalent of four first round picks, Quinn Hughes changed sweaters. So did Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and Marco Rossi in the process.
Hughes has yet to step foot on the ice at Grand Casino Arena, but the new Canucks made their first appearance Sunday afternoon.
After being dealt by the Minnesota Wild, Zeev Buium needed time to meet Vancouver in New Jersey. Rather than going west to Vancouver, the rookie headed out east to join the road trip. He made an immediate impact in a 2-1 win by scoring a goal and assisting on the other.
First Canucks game.
First Canucks goal.
Welcome to Vancouver, Zeev Buium! 👏 pic.twitter.com/ylY4mTTQ5L
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 14, 2025
The two points were not only quite the first impression, but he made club history too. Buium is the first defenseman in franchise history to record multiple points in the first period of a Canucks debut.
Buium made his Minnesota Wild debut last season during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In his rookie season this year, Buium had played in 31 games. He has scored three goals with 11 assists while averaging nearly 18.5 minutes of time on ice per game.
In his Canucks debut Buium got 19:50 of ice time and was even on the plus-minus with a blocked shot.
Beyond just Buium, former MN Wild players Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren made their debuts as well. Rossi had a shot while blocking three in 18:16. Ohgran was a minus-one with a shot and blocked shot in 11:39.
It’s possible the former Wild talent works out for Vancouver, and almost certainly Buium will. However, Hughes is among the best players in the sport, and has a chance to add onto his 30 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Mentioned in this article: Quinn Hughes Zeev Buium
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