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NHL Notebook: Canucks sign Zeev Buium to eight-year extension

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

By Cynthia Ryley Delaney

Sep 6, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Nov 4, 2026, 22:43 EST

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With the regular season quickly approaching, teams across the National Hockey League have ramped up their transactions.

One of the biggest news pieces these last few days belongs to the Calgary Flames’ Pacific Division rivals, the Vancouver Canucks. On Friday, they extended defenceman Zeev Buium to an eight-year deal worth $9.38 million annually.

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8 MORE YEARS OF ZEEV! 🤩 General Manager Ryan Johnson announced today that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with defenceman Zeev Buium on an eight-year contract extension with a $9.38 million AAV. DETAILS | vancanucks.co/4gPcYx3

9:45 PM · Sep 4, 2026

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Drafted 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2024, Buium made his debut in 2024-25 playoffs, picking up an assist in four games. His first 31 regular season games were spent with the Wild in 2025-26, where he scored three goals and 14 points.

In mid-December, Buium was packaged with Liam Öhgren, Marco Rossi, and a 2026 first for Quinn Hughes. Over his final 45 games, Buium scored three goals and 12 points, giving him six goals and 26 points in 76 games.

It’s a large gamble to take for a player with 80 games in the National Hockey League, but Buium has the potential to be Hughes’ replacement for the Canucks.

Devils acquire Luke Evangelista

One trade that came out of nowhere occurred on Tuesday, as the Nashville Predators sent forward Luke Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2028 second rounder.

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#BREAKING: We've acquired forward Luke Evangelista from Nashville in exchange for two picks in the 2028 NHL Draft.

12:45 AM · Sep 2, 2026

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Evangelista, 24, was drafted 42nd overall by the Predators in 2020, making his debut in 2022-23. His first full season was in 2023-24, where he scored 16 goals (a career-high) and 39 points in 80 games. In 2024-25, he scored 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games, followed by 12 goals and a career-best 56 points in 81 games this past season.

The right winger had a breakout year and now joins one of the strongest teams in the Metropolitan Division. He’s projected to join Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Anthony Mantha in the Devils’ top six.

That 2028 first rounder is a conditional pick that originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche. Before the 2026 trade deadline, it was sent to the Flames in the Nazem Kadri trade, before the Flames traded it as part of a package for Šimon Nemec.

Blues name Robert Thomas as captain

The Predators’ Central Division rivals, the St. Louis Blues, named Robert Thomas as the franchise’s 25th captain in team history on Wednesday.

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Robert Thomas will become the 25th Captain in Blues history.

6:02 PM · Sep 2, 2026

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Thomas was selected 20th overall by the Blues in 2017, helping the team win their only Stanley Cup in 2018-19. After eight seasons, Thomas has 132 goals and 460 points in 530 career games, scoring 80+ points in 2023-24 and 2024-25, before potting 25 goals and 64 points in 2025-26.

The Aurora, Ontario product replaced Brayden Schenn as the Blues’ captain, as the Blues sent Schenn to the New York Islanders ahead of the 2026 trade deadline.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFO Calgary, DFO Edmonton, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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