Zeev Buium can succeed where Calen Addison failed – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild need to improve in every area, but they needed a difference-maker on the blue line, and they got one. Despite moving up just one spot, the Wild managed to land a defensive prospect with more potential than Carson Lambos, whom they selected 26th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.

The pundits who voted the most for Buium predicted he would be a top-five pick. However, he fell outside of the top 10, forcing GM Bill Guerin to move up a spot. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference, and by moving up to 12, they may have acquired a player who can do what Calen Addison couldn’t in a Wild uniform.

Buium will likely return to the University of Denver for his sophomore season, where he’ll be teammates with Rieger Lorenz, who the Wild drafted in the second round (56th overall) in 2022. While Lorenz isn’t the same tier prospect as Buium, he could still be a lesser version of Matt Boldy. Now that Buium and Lorenz are officially Wild prospects, they should be motivated to win it all in Denver to show they’re NHL-ready.

What does the future hold for Buium?

Buium wants to get better at everything. However, he is named that his hockey IQ is NHL-ready, meaning he’ll have no trouble stepping into an NHL lineup today. Let’s say he follows Brock Faber’s developmental path. When can we expect Buium to step into the Wild lineup, and what will his role be?

He's already scoring at a rate of 1.19 points per game, ahead of Cale Makar (0.93 points) and just 0.01 points behind Adam Fox (1.20 points). However, Fox has played in 97 games, while Buium has played in 42. Makar has played in 75 games. Still, let's look at some height comparisons: Makar's is currently 5-foot-11, 187 lbs., while Fox's 5-foot-11, 183 lbs.

Size is important on the blue line. However, several NHL defensemen under 6-foot-2 have been successful and can hold their own thanks to their toughness. Will Buium’s offense translate to the pros? How good is his IQ? For starters, he can play both sides of the puck. Fox and Makar are right-shooting defensemen who play right-sided. Miro Heiskanen plays both ends of the ice for the Dallas Stars. He is currently averaging 0.61 points per game, which is an average of 50 points per season.

Heiskanen recently had a breakout season with 73 points in 79 games in the 2022-23 season. So Heiskanen is already showing the NHL who he can be at his peak. He’s not a points-per-game player like Makar. However, he plays an elite, versatile game. Could he be a lesser version of Makar? That’s exactly what Buium can become by bringing another level of offense to Brock Faber.

Faber is expected to be one of the best defensemen in the league under 24. However, he is not expected to be an offensive juggernaut. Still, he is a better offensive player than people expected him to be coming out of college. What if he had found a different gear on offense last year? He would have won the Calder Trophy, since NHL awards are largely determined by the number of points a player scores. Does Buium have enough offensive ability to win the Calder?

Once Buium arrives, the Wild will likely continue playing Jonas Brodin with Faber, making Jared Spurgeon redundant. Minnesota may not want to throw Buium in with the Sharks, but will he show the same determination to improve that Faber has? Buium should expect to take over Declan Chisholm’s role on the power play, but he has a much better IQ as a facilitator.

Buium could debut alongside Jake Middleton, who the Wild signed to a four-year, $17.4 million extension. Playing alongside Buium could help take some of the physical burden off Middleton. Buium could thrive as a true offensive defenseman, while Middleton’s stay-at-home style helps guard bigger forwards and clear the front of the net. Buium will serve in a second-pairing role until he graduates to Brodin’s top-pairing role.

The Wild were fortunate to land a top talent on defense in Buium, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be productive enough offensively to take pressure off Kirill Kaprizov and Minnesota’s other scorers. Buium is far from finished, but if he can offer more than Addison, it could be the beginning of his career as an everyday defenseman.

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