Article: Zeev Buium Is A Bona Fide Top Prospect

[FredJohnson]

1 hour ago, Will D. Ness said:

He is talking about the premature anointing of the unproven prospect that happens every year.  It gets old to hop onto the hype train and then to be disappointed when reality melts away the glory of speculation and reveals another young and inexperienced kid going through growing pains.  

What really bothers me though, is how people then turn on the prospect and cry "bust" before moving onto the hype train of the next premature anointing of the unproven prospect.  

It’s not even in the same magnitude of annoyance that the negative Nelly’s spew by pronouncing every prospect a bust no matter how they perform in the lead-up to making the club.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

The Athletic just released an article on Buium too, kind of centered around that lingering question of how long he might be at Denver.

Quote

That’s the biggest question for Buium, who many expect to join the Wild after this Pioneers season. And as much as Buium tries to stay present, from practices to his three classes (astronomy, theater, communications), he admits the NHL is on his mind.

His goal first and foremost is to win another national title. But he’s also watching 90 percent of Wild games, and it’s more than just as a fan. It makes him smile.

“You watch what they’re doing and where I can see myself,” Buium says. “I don’t think about it all the time, but sometimes I’ll watch the game — ‘How do I fit in this lineup, this system?’ It’s pretty cool. Sometimes I get lost — just amazed how they play. It’s been fun to watch and have more of a sense of pride for a team in the NHL.”

His roommates will catch Buium watching 15-minute clips of NHL defensemen, including the Wild’s Brock Faber and the Detroit Red Wings’ Moritz Seider. 

Wild comments:

Quote

Bombardir says Buium has improved on everything the team has asked him to this past year. His play away from the puck has gotten much better, from his gaps to his neutral-zone play to being predictable for his partner.

“People talk about his offensive abilities and what he can do with the puck,” Bombardir says. “But the willingness he shows to defend and compete, I thought, were on great display at (World Juniors).”

Denver Coach comments:

Quote

 

“He knows what he needs to play the 25 to 30 minutes,” Carle says. “He can pick his spots. He’s got an uncanny ability to do what the game requires. The adaptability of where he can do whatever the game calls for, whether he needs to be hard at defending or if he needs to add more juice, like he did against Finland offensively. He can just do it all.

“That’s why I think his intelligence level, of doing what the game requires out of him, is like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

 

Athletic writer comments:

Quote

“I try to always temper my expectations, not get carried away,” The Athletic’s prospects writer Scott Wheeler says. “But I truly believe Zeev is ready to come in and contribute this spring once his season is over at Denver and play in the playoffs and be a good player right away. Could he play 20 minutes a night next year? Zeev slides immediately on your second pairing. And is he immediately on one of your top two power plays? I absolutely think he’s capable of being that kind of player right away.”

 

[mnfaninnc]

Here's what I'm really looking forward to: Both Buium and Faber seem to have that "it" factor. They are able to elevate to 120% of their normal play when the moment calls for it. Whether it's playing 30 minutes a game, or whether it's hitting that clutch goal or driving play. 

Having 2 of those on a team is amazing and a reason I might not want to pair up Buium and Faber. Think about this: We could have 2 top pairing defensive units on a bargain pricetag. 

Maybe it's overkill, but to get back to MNH03's idea of trading Rossi, Boldy and Faber for Thompson and Tuch. While the short term on this looks like it might be a win, and Thompson and Tuch would look good here, I think losing Faber would really be a detriment to our longterm success. 

I still believe in the 3-4 hits on 2/3 drafts for longterm success. Getting a core of guys around the same age group with tutelage from an older draft. That's what we have in the '20-22 draft group. Sure, we traded for 2 of those guys and I didn't include that in my research, but having that group of 8ish guys from 3 drafts that can play a significant role tends to build championship caliber teams. 

I'm ready to give this type of build a run. There's no guarantees that either is the way to go, but I like what I see from those drafts. 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

Maybe it's overkill, but to get back to MNH03's idea of trading Rossi, Boldy and Faber for Thompson and Tuch. While the short term on this looks like it might be a win, and Thompson and Tuch would look good here, I think losing Faber would really be a detriment to our longterm success. 

That's kind of where I came out. Short-term, the offense could see a little boost, but Boldy is at an age after which many NHLers see a productivity jump and his experience at 4 Nations could accelerate his development. If the Wild were to have those 3 players on the team next season, and they improve as many players of their ages do, they might be far more valuable than Tage Thompson & Tuch next season and for many seasons beyond.

We likely would see more goals against by removing Faber from the Wild blue line as well. How they would be able to fill that vacancy would determine whether the Wild could win the deal. It feels like a risk making the trade even if the Wild get the best current player out of it. In 2 years, Boldy and Rossi could have better production than the combination of Tage & Tuch, and in that scenario, you let go of a top line RHD to get similar production from your top 6.

I'm not arguing it's a horrible idea because there would be cap space created to replace Faber, I'm just uncertain how it would be used and if they could get a player to come in that would be just as productive. They would also want to extend Tuch before next year and that'd end up eating some of the cap space created.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

I forgot to mention above that Faber also has cost certainty at $8.5M per year for the next 8 seasons after this. That may not look like an incredible deal today, but as the cap starts jumping and top line RHDs start getting $12M per year deals around 2027, it very well could look like the type of deal that helps teams become contenders. That Boldy deal should be an excellent example as well, assuming these 2 continue to improve.

[SkolWild73]

6 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

but Boldy is at an age after which many NHLers see a productivity jump

I did a little research on all active players based on their points per game who, in their age 23 season, performed plus or minus .05 points per game of Boldy and Rossi to see how they did at ages 24-27.  Boldy so far this year is at .857 and Rossi .838.  Just over half (9/17) became point per game players by the ages of 24-26.  Here is a list of those players:

• William Nylander
• Elias Pettersson
• Kevin Fiala
• Jonathan Huberdeau
• Mathew Barzal
• Mark Stone
• Patrick Kane
• Jamie Benn
• Sam Reinhart

Of this list, only Nylander had a higher ppg than Boldy at .868.  Of course, the season is not over yet and Boldy could go down or up, but still some pretty good names on this list.  Of the 17 players, 4 dropped to below .75 points per game and lower: Max Domi, Sean Monahan, Jordan Staal, and Ondrej Palat.

The other 4 players did not reach ppg status by 27 but still had some good years.  They are Brock Boeser, Max Pacioretty, Nikolaj Ehlers (ppq at 28), and Jordan Eberle.

Also, Matthew Tkachuk did not make the list because his ppg at 23 was .768.  Probably could have added him since his ppg were in the range at 21 and 22.

Better than 50 percent chance that Boldy and/or Rossi can get there.  

 

 

[Up North Guy]

22 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

It is hard to play in the NHL at 19. This is especially true for a defender. He wouldn't even be eligible to play in the A because he's too young. What I am concerned about is his size. Has he taken to the gym like his brother? If the young phenom comes into the league, you can surely bet there are more than a few NHLers who will want to test him in the corners. 

Faber came into the league at about 6'1" 20x. Even then, he learned last year he needed to add strength in the offseason, specifically upper body strength. He struggled against bigger forwards to pin them up against the boards. I think he's been better this season with that aspect. I believe the extra year in college helped Faber. I would not be surprised if it was the route that Buium decided to go...unless he has hit the gym hard!

A few years ago, Guerin went to BC or BU to check on his college prospects. He had dinner with them, where I suppose he would be discussing their future. Both players likely didn't like what they heard because neither one was signed by us. I don't know if Guerin scared them off or if he even does this anymore. Since he's been given responsibility for team USA, maybe he doesn't even have time for that. But, I would think he'd be visiting Buium, perhaps when he's at one of the local universities playing and find out what Buium thinks. 

Faber was easy to track since he is in our backyard. Have the Wild had their eyes on his progression for a lot of games this season? I really don't know. Roberts article was very good and encouraging, and I'm expecting that when Buium does come aboard, he will hit the ground running much like Faber did. My expectations are not tempered, though, I believe he'll start out on the 3rd pairing. 

We know that Merrill wasn't fast enough to play vs. Dallas last time we were in the playoffs. I find it hard to believe he's able to gear up and play this time around. Chisholm could. I think Buium and Jiricek may make a fine pair, and I thought Chisholm and Jiricek playing together was the best pairing this season for Jiricek. 

It would be nice not to have to burn an ELC year with Buium. Since I haven't watched a single game this year with him, I hope he has developed more physically. I think this TDL will give us a hint on what we are going to do. 

Dermott cannot be traded or sent down, he must be put on waivers and probably sent back to Edmonton. Merrill can be sent down if we needed depth, but I think by April, Lambos will have caught him. Chisholm is young at $1m. I think if we see either he or Merrill sold or Dermott put on waivers, this will indicate that Guerin thinks Buium is coming after this year's tournament. 

 

Good stuff here. Several folks are comparing Zeev to Faber which is natural for us on this sight, but I may contend that a better comparison may be Makar. They play a more similar game and may be closer to comps. I can only imagine what it would look like with a Faber and a Makar clone on the same team along with the rest of the Wild d-corps. Now that is what dreams are made of.

[Up North Guy]

22 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

It is hard to play in the NHL at 19. This is especially true for a defender. He wouldn't even be eligible to play in the A because he's too young. What I am concerned about is his size. Has he taken to the gym like his brother? If the young phenom comes into the league, you can surely bet there are more than a few NHLers who will want to test him in the corners. 

Faber came into the league at about 6'1" 20x. Even then, he learned last year he needed to add strength in the offseason, specifically upper body strength. He struggled against bigger forwards to pin them up against the boards. I think he's been better this season with that aspect. I believe the extra year in college helped Faber. I would not be surprised if it was the route that Buium decided to go...unless he has hit the gym hard!

A few years ago, Guerin went to BC or BU to check on his college prospects. He had dinner with them, where I suppose he would be discussing their future. Both players likely didn't like what they heard because neither one was signed by us. I don't know if Guerin scared them off or if he even does this anymore. Since he's been given responsibility for team USA, maybe he doesn't even have time for that. But, I would think he'd be visiting Buium, perhaps when he's at one of the local universities playing and find out what Buium thinks. 

Faber was easy to track since he is in our backyard. Have the Wild had their eyes on his progression for a lot of games this season? I really don't know. Roberts article was very good and encouraging, and I'm expecting that when Buium does come aboard, he will hit the ground running much like Faber did. My expectations are not tempered, though, I believe he'll start out on the 3rd pairing. 

We know that Merrill wasn't fast enough to play vs. Dallas last time we were in the playoffs. I find it hard to believe he's able to gear up and play this time around. Chisholm could. I think Buium and Jiricek may make a fine pair, and I thought Chisholm and Jiricek playing together was the best pairing this season for Jiricek. 

It would be nice not to have to burn an ELC year with Buium. Since I haven't watched a single game this year with him, I hope he has developed more physically. I think this TDL will give us a hint on what we are going to do. 

Dermott cannot be traded or sent down, he must be put on waivers and probably sent back to Edmonton. Merrill can be sent down if we needed depth, but I think by April, Lambos will have caught him. Chisholm is young at $1m. I think if we see either he or Merrill sold or Dermott put on waivers, this will indicate that Guerin thinks Buium is coming after this year's tournament. 

 

Good stuff here. Several folks are comparing Zeev to Faber which is natural for us on this sight, but I may contend that a better comparison may be Makar. They play a more similar game and may be closer to comps. I can only imagine what it would look like with a Faber and a Makar clone on the same team along with the rest of the Wild d-corps. Now that is what dreams are made of.

[mnhockeyfan03]

6 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Here's what I'm really looking forward to: Both Buium and Faber seem to have that "it" factor. They are able to elevate to 120% of their normal play when the moment calls for it. Whether it's playing 30 minutes a game, or whether it's hitting that clutch goal or driving play. 

Having 2 of those on a team is amazing and a reason I might not want to pair up Buium and Faber. Think about this: We could have 2 top pairing defensive units on a bargain pricetag. 

Maybe it's overkill, but to get back to MNH03's idea of trading Rossi, Boldy and Faber for Thompson and Tuch. While the short term on this looks like it might be a win, and Thompson and Tuch would look good here, I think losing Faber would really be a detriment to our longterm success. 

I still believe in the 3-4 hits on 2/3 drafts for longterm success. Getting a core of guys around the same age group with tutelage from an older draft. That's what we have in the '20-22 draft group. Sure, we traded for 2 of those guys and I didn't include that in my research, but having that group of 8ish guys from 3 drafts that can play a significant role tends to build championship caliber teams. 

I'm ready to give this type of build a run. There's no guarantees that either is the way to go, but I like what I see from those drafts. 

Let’s just play this out.  Let’s say Boldy is at 7mm a year, Rossi at 6mm and Faber for 8.5 for 21.5mm a year.  Tuch at 4.75 and Thompson at 7.1mm for a total of 11.85mm.  That’s 9.65 mm left we could spend on a top RHD dman or a really good dman for 5-6mm and another forward for 3-4mm.  I will take that trade all day as the team will get better by doing that.  Now get rid of Spurgeon for anything like a bag of pucks and we have another 7.5mm to spend to make even more of an impact. The time is now in the next 2-3 years to make a run and it won’t happen with Rossi, Faber or Boldy for what the team could be without them.  

[Burnt Toast]

1 hour ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Tuch at 4.75

You’d be getting Tuch for next year only then BOOM with the cap explosion who knows what it’ll take to keep him. Don’t rush this cake. Boldy Rossi and Faber are rising stars/ great pieces. The value is coming. Tuch and Thompson aren’t going to put the Wild over the top. Maybe cycle back in a couple of years to put the icing on the cake. 

[BeanPole Harvester]

Here's some stats from the last 4 years for the trade proposal since Boldy made his debut.

Boldy- 259 games, 219 pts, TOI 3527 (minutes)

.846 pts/gm and .062 pts/minute

Rossi- 157 games, 88 pts, TOI 2188

.561 pts/gm, .040 pts/min

Tuch- 253 games, 219 pts, TOI 3441

.866 pts/gm, .064 pts/min

Thompson- 275 games, 266 pts, TOI 3726

.967 pts/gm, .071 pts/min

Just got to throw him in...

Pominville, after traded to the Wild

317 Games, 197 pts, TOI 5359

.621 pts/gm, .037 pts/min

So, to balance a little, lets assume everyone is getting 20 minutes a night.

Boldy- 1.24 pts/game

Rossi-.80 pts/game

Tuch- 1.28 pts/game

Thompson- 1.42 pts/game

Pominville- .74 pts/game

Lets also keep in mind that line mates can make a giant impact as even Dave Semenko scored 27 pts one year when teamed up with Gretzky.

[mnhockeyfan03]

44 minutes ago, Burnt Toast said:

You’d be getting Tuch for next year only then BOOM with the cap explosion who knows what it’ll take to keep him. Don’t rush this cake. Boldy Rossi and Faber are rising stars/ great pieces. The value is coming. Tuch and Thompson aren’t going to put the Wild over the top. Maybe cycle back in a couple of years to put the icing on the cake. 

I think tuch would sign a 3-4 year deal at 6mm.  Still a good value.   We need big top end forwards.  I don’t think Rossi or Boldy are those type of players in the West

[mnhockeyfan03]

45 minutes ago, BeanPole Harvester said:

Here's some stats from the last 4 years for the trade proposal since Boldy made his debut.

Boldy- 259 games, 219 pts, TOI 3527 (minutes)

.846 pts/gm and .062 pts/minute

Rossi- 157 games, 88 pts, TOI 2188

.561 pts/gm, .040 pts/min

Tuch- 253 games, 219 pts, TOI 3441

.866 pts/gm, .064 pts/min

Thompson- 275 games, 266 pts, TOI 3726

.967 pts/gm, .071 pts/min

Just got to throw him in...

Pominville, after traded to the Wild

317 Games, 197 pts, TOI 5359

.621 pts/gm, .037 pts/min

So, to balance a little, lets assume everyone is getting 20 minutes a night.

Boldy- 1.24 pts/game

Rossi-.80 pts/game

Tuch- 1.28 pts/game

Thompson- 1.42 pts/game

Pominville- .74 pts/game

Lets also keep in mind that line mates can make a giant impact as even Dave Semenko scored 27 pts one year when teamed up with Gretzky.

Watch the Buffalo games and you will see why the trade makes sense.  Tuch and Thompson are what we need. Our PP is trash and they fix that.  Our top 6 has no size and they fix that.  Also they have speed and are RH.  

[Imyourhuckleberry]

10 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Watch the Buffalo games and you will see why the trade makes sense.  Tuch and Thompson are what we need. Our PP is trash and they fix that.  Our top 6 has no size and they fix that.  Also they have speed and are RH.  

I'm not arguing that this trade wouldn't make the Wild better this season or next season. I think you are underestimating how much better Boldy could be 2 years from now though. Tage and Tuch are near the top of their games. They are unlikely to improve. Boldy and Rossi both have a reasonable shot to be exceeding a point/game two or three years down the road.

In the age range that Boldy and Rossi are now, Tuch was around .6 points per game. Tage Thompson was below .4 points per game. You are seeing the finished product with those guys, but assuming that Boldy and Rossi are not going to get better. They will get Boldy a legit wing on the opposite side and he might go for 90+ points next season.

Over the next 5 years, Rossi has a chance to post 20% more points than Tuch. As I stated previously, I don't know that it's clear either way, but I suspect that Guerin will keep Boldy since he said he has a chance to be a 50 goal scorer in his prime.

Boldy is surrounded right now by the best players the US has to offer, and he's taking notes. If he's the guy Guerin is hoping for, he will have his best summer of working out to help close the gap between his current game and where those veterans are at today.

[M_Nels]

13 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Now get rid of Spurgeon for anything like a bag of pucks and we have another 7.5mm to spend to make even more of an impact.

Wild retaining or you think the team dealing the bag of pucks is going to take on the full $7.5m? Shedding Spurgeon doesn't just magically get you $7.5m unless you really sucker a team or throw in some other major capital with it.

[mnhockeyfan03]

1 hour ago, M_Nels said:

Wild retaining or you think the team dealing the bag of pucks is going to take on the full $7.5m? Shedding Spurgeon doesn't just magically get you $7.5m unless you really sucker a team or throw in some other major capital with it.

I think Spurgeon and a 3rd and maybe a prospect gets them to take his salary. 

[mnhockeyfan03]

1 hour ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I'm not arguing that this trade wouldn't make the Wild better this season or next season. I think you are underestimating how much better Boldy could be 2 years from now though. Tage and Tuch are near the top of their games. They are unlikely to improve. Boldy and Rossi both have a reasonable shot to be exceeding a point/game two or three years down the road.

In the age range that Boldy and Rossi are now, Tuch was around .6 points per game. Tage Thompson was below .4 points per game. You are seeing the finished product with those guys, but assuming that Boldy and Rossi are not going to get better. They will get Boldy a legit wing on the opposite side and he might go for 90+ points next season.

Over the next 5 years, Rossi has a chance to post 20% more points than Tuch. As I stated previously, I don't know that it's clear either way, but I suspect that Guerin will keep Boldy since he said he has a chance to be a 50 goal scorer in his prime.

Boldy is surrounded right now by the best players the US has to offer, and he's taking notes. If he's the guy Guerin is hoping for, he will have his best summer of working out to help close the gap between his current game and where those veterans are at today.

Understand your thinking and there is a chance Boldy and Rossi develop more but there is also a chance they don’t.  This is a true hockey trade.  We are going to be in win now mode the next 2-3 year deal in Kaps prime and don’t have time to wait for guys to develop or we waste his talent.  We get better for the next 2-3 years for sure and we get RHD speed guys who can play in the top 6 and score

[Mateo3xm]

18 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

Good stuff here. Several folks are comparing Zeev to Faber which is natural for us on this sight, but I may contend that a better comparison may be Makar. They play a more similar game and may be closer to comps. I can only imagine what it would look like with a Faber and a Makar clone on the same team along with the rest of the Wild d-corps. Now that is what dreams are made of.

I agree with this but I don’t think anyone wants to actually say it for fear they will be wrong. Buiums skating is good but it isn’t like Makars. I’ve seen comparisons to Adam Fox too.

[Sam]

3 minutes ago, Mateo3xm said:

I agree with this but I don’t think anyone wants to actually say it for fear they will be wrong. Buiums skating is good but it isn’t like Makars. I’ve seen comparisons to Adam Fox too.

I’ll raise you a Quinn Hughes and that’s my final offer…

[FredJohnson]

12 minutes ago, Sam said:

I’ll raise you a Quinn Hughes and that’s my final offer…

[Pewterschmidt]

30 minutes ago, Mateo3xm said:

Buiums skating is good but it isn’t like Makars.

Please let's not start comparing this college hockey player to the best NHL d-man.  Please?

Or am I the one who doesn't get it.  It's a fan page so we come here for an bottomless well of hope.  The line between hope and delusion blurs when Z Bu gets compared to Makar.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

22 minutes ago, Mateo3xm said:

I agree with this but I don’t think anyone wants to actually say it for fear they will be wrong. Buiums skating is good but it isn’t like Makars.

I haven't said Makar, and won't unless Buium actually hits point per game status in the NHL. I have mentioned Heiskanen a few times because the way he whirls around and controls the game when he's healthy for the Stars is the way that Buium has been described by writers. I believe Heiskanen is a little longer than Makar or Quinn Hughes, and a little below on scoring, particularly this year.

Heiskanen did tally 127 points in 150 games the prior to seasons though--roughly a 68 point pace per 80 games. The Wild have never had a defenseman come close to 70 points in a season--I believe their highest so far is 51.

Makar has typically been on his own level.

[Up North Guy]

6 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I haven't said Makar, and won't unless Buium actually hits point per game status in the NHL. I have mentioned Heiskanen a few times because the way he whirls around and controls the game when he's healthy for the Stars is the way that Buium has been described by writers. I believe Heiskanen is a little longer than Makar or Quinn Hughes, and a little below on scoring, particularly this year.

Heiskanen did tally 127 points in 150 games the prior to seasons though--roughly a 68 point pace per 80 games. The Wild have never had a defenseman come close to 70 points in a season--I believe their highest so far is 51.

Makar has typically been on his own level.

I did not mean to compare Zeev to Makar as they both are right now. I was referring to Makar pre-NHL. Also, from what i have seen, Zeev has improved his skating from last year.

[Mateo3xm]

2 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

I did not mean to compare Zeev to Makar as they both are right now. I was referring to Makar pre-NHL. Also, from what i have seen, Zeev has improved his skating from last year.

This is exactly what I’ve been saying. I’m simply comparing their points in college hockey. Nowhere do I see people saying he’s going to be the next Makar who is obviously the best dman in the nhl

[Mateo3xm]

9 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Please let's not start comparing this college hockey player to the best NHL d-man.  Please?

Or am I the one who doesn't get it.  It's a fan page so we come here for an bottomless well of hope.  The line between hope and delusion blurs when Z Bu gets compared to Makar.

Like I said above. He put up better numbers than Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox and Brian Leetch as a freshman. No other NCAA defenseman freshman has put up that many points before. I’m having a hard time finding any other defenseman in history that has scored more than 53pts in a season and that was Matt Carle in his 3rd year in 05-06. You absolutely can compare his points production to all of those players because he did it. 

Not one time did I say he was going to be the next Makar. For some reason you seem to be interpreting it as such, even though it’s pretty obvious I’m not. I could just see you telling all your friends about this comment section you’re a part of where people were saying Buium is the next Makar. I haven’t heard one person say that but you seem to want to hear that.

Once again, his skating is not the same as Makars but his skill and especially his hockey IQ is elite. It’s certainly possible he could become a star in the NHL but obviously we will have to wait and see.

Also something to think about is that three other players were picked before Makar in his draft year