Article: Zeev Buium Can Immediately Impact the Wild's Power Play

[Robert Brent]

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[Citizen Strife]

Zeev being anywhere close to advertised takes pressure off Faber and Spurgeon to be the only serviceable offense from the blueline.  Play Buium with Spurgeon, and he'll learn defense really quick.  Great byproducts all around.

[Pewterschmidt]

Warning Label: I'm going to be critical of one our most golden boy most can't miss prospects.

Zeev looked very over matched in his NHL TOI last year.  over matched size wise, over matched in terms of gap control (multiple bad decisions in this dept leading to opportunities for other team).  I know he's 19 and I know his debut was end of season/playoffs which isn't fair.  But let's see some more Zeev before we crown him the PP QB and heir apparent to Cale Makar's crown.

[raithis]

2 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Warning Label: I'm going to be critical of one our most golden boy most can't miss prospects.

Zeev looked very over matched in his NHL TOI last year.  over matched size wise, over matched in terms of gap control (multiple bad decisions in this dept leading to opportunities for other team).  I know he's 19 and I know his debut was end of season/playoffs which isn't fair.  But let's see some more Zeev before we crown him the PP QB and heir apparent to Cale Makar's crown.

It's fine to temper expectations. 

No one should be saying he will be the next Makar or Hughes, but it's fine to say he has the potential to be since he does seem to play that style of game.

Even Buium himself admitted that he needed to add more strength before next season so he could be a more effective player in the NHL.  He at least recognizes that he was a bit overmatched in the few games he played against Vegas.  Accepting that you need to adapt is a good first step.  Now, we'll have to see if he follows through.

To me, if more offense comes out of our defense than last year, it's a win. 

If he and Jiricek play well enough so that Faber isn't gassed by the end of the season and we aren't driving Spurgeon and Brodin into early retirement, great. 

Buium doesn't have to be Makar.  He just has to be better than Merrill and give our defense an offensive aspect it's been missing.  Start there, and we'll see how far he goes.

 

[Will D. Ness]

I know the hype machine is cranking high RPMs for Zeev but I get the feeling that he is legit.  He looked super green in his debut but it set the table for him.

He definitely isn't Calen Addison 2.0.

[Citizen Strife]

The Addison worry is understandable (even if all signs point to Buium being nothing like that).  Attitude and mentality wise, Buium strikes me as a person who wants to be better in everything and will take things seriously.

Addison is the worst case scenario, but anything approaching what Dumba (pre-injury) or Spurgeon/Suter were would be nice.  The pure "stats bro" portion of the Wild has been riddled with "Suter/Spurgeon were 40-50 pt guys and Dumba could have been.". Faber tracks more in the Brodin/Spurgeon defense first mold or all-around guy than a pure scoring threat.  Buium has been marketed as something the Wild just never get their hands on...ever.  Sure would be nice if that comes anywhere close to fruition.

If Buium pots 30-40, that alone surpassed the other depth combined.  He just has to not be an Addison black hole on defense.

Edited yesterday at 06:34 PM by Citizen Strife

[Imyourhuckleberry]

3 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I know he's 19 and I know his debut was end of season/playoffs which isn't fair.  But let's see some more Zeev before we crown him the PP QB and heir apparent to Cale Makar's crown.

To be fair, Buium has never played a regular season NHL game and doesn't turn 20 until December. Nobody should be expecting Makar, but if he can be somewhat average on defense and deliver above average minutes coordinating the power play, that could go a long way.

Not overly important, but Buium is also pretty young for having played 2 college seasons already. Makar, for example, was a full year older when he finished his 2nd college season and debuted in the playoffs for the Avalanche(averaging 17:22 TOI in that first playoffs fresh out of college). Makar has played 6 NHL regular seasons(7 playoff seasons) and turns 27 in October.

Buium will have his first NHL training camp and have time to acclimate to the system this time around. I have high expectations for Buium, but I don't expect him to meet all of them in the upcoming season.

He'll almost certainly make numerous mistakes in 2025-2026, but his overall play will hopefully be at a level that the Wild can live with them as long as he's learning and growing from them, developing knowledge and habits that will reduce future mistakes.

I mean, you generally don't become the most trusted defenseman in your age group, garnering the most ice time from multiple coaches while vying for NCAA titles and world junior championships if you keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

[FredJohnson]

Comments are so rational…what happened??

[Citizen Strife]

19 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

Comments are so rational…what happened??

Maybe we all grew up.

[mnfaninnc]

Quote

If Buium can transition to the NHL as a power play specialist immediately, it would be a massive boon for Minnesota. The team struggled with the extra man last season, ranking 20th in the league with a 20.9% success rate.

I just can't let this go. Buium is not the answer to this PP%, and while he may help, the immediate help is a healthy Ek and Kaprizov. Those guys run the show on the PP. Even last season with Faber and Spurgeon on the point, if Kaprizov and Ek are in the lineup, they did much better.

Now, Buium might make this more lethal, but, we've got to have those other 2 guys 1st just to get to respectable. On a similar note, this PP cannot simply be judged by %, it needs to also be judged by getting the PP goal when it's needed. This has been a major failure over the years.

[Up North Guy]

2 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

To be fair, Buium has never played a regular season NHL game and doesn't turn 20 until December. Nobody should be expecting Makar, but if he can be somewhat average on defense and deliver above average minutes coordinating the power play, that could go a long way.

Not overly important, but Buium is also pretty young for having played 2 college seasons already. Makar, for example, was a full year older when he finished his 2nd college season and debuted in the playoffs for the Avalanche(averaging 17:22 TOI in that first playoffs fresh out of college). Makar has played 6 NHL regular seasons(7 playoff seasons) and turns 27 in October.

Buium will have his first NHL training camp and have time to acclimate to the system this time around. I have high expectations for Buium, but I don't expect him to meet all of them in the upcoming season.

He'll almost certainly make numerous mistakes in 2025-2026, but his overall play will hopefully be at a level that the Wild can live with them as long as he's learning and growing from them, developing knowledge and habits that will reduce future mistakes.

I mean, you generally don't become the most trusted defenseman in your age group, garnering the most ice time from multiple coaches while vying for NCAA titles and world junior championships if you keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

My biggest concern is that Hynes will yank him every time he makes a mistake.

[SkolWild73]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Buium is not the answer to this PP%, and while he may help, the immediate help is a healthy Ek and Kaprizov. Those guys run the show on the PP. Even last season with Faber and Spurgeon on the point, if Kaprizov and Ek are in the lineup, they did much better.

I think a good point man will help.  Something needs to change to get us to an elite status on the PP, and Buium might be just that.

2020/21: 17.58%, 25th

2021/22: 20.54%, 18th

2022/23: 21.43%, 15th

2023/24: 22.71%. 10th

2024/25: 20.87%, 20th.

Last year about the time the Kap went down with his injury, we were sitting at 19%.  The power play was actually better the second half of the year.

 

[1Brotherbill]

Buium on Power Play One. Jiricek on Power Play Two.  I like that combo.  Lets face it Spurgeon was a black hole when it came to running the power play.  Three years with 2 goals and 14 assists.  That is total, so that is 5 points per year from Spurgeon on the Power Play.  It was so bad they decided to run with five forwards and that pretty much was the reason they lost the series against Vegas.  Two short handed goals because the forwards had no idea how to stop a break or hold the blueline.  

So, going forward they should at least be better than 5 points a year from the QB on the power play.

I know they are young and he will make mistakes but the lions share of the minutes will be taken by the top four defenseman.  This will allow Buium and Jiricek to grow into their roles.  

[Bobby S]

I watched Buium closely in his college highlights the last two season and have concerns about his defense. I absolutely believe he is a conscientious defender and a gifted puck mover with elite offensive instincts. But conscientious defender and gifted defender are two very different things. I am sky high on him as everyone else is and will be eagerly watching his development over the next couple seasons. 

[mnfaninnc]

14 hours ago, SkolWild73 said:

Last year about the time the Kap went down with his injury, we were sitting at 19%.  The power play was actually better the second half of the year.

From a % yes. We also had a top heavy schedule and a much weaker competition in the 2nd half. But for me the main issue is the one I talked about as the 2nd indicator: Needing the PP goal. There are PPs out there that have a high % but can't score when it really matters. There are others with a mediocre PP%, but get the one they need. Maybe the column should be labeled PPP or Power Play under Pressure?

Now with that, I think it is important to have 2 competent units. To date, the Wild have pretty much employed 1. However, this season could be different. 

PP1= Ek, Kaprizov, Boldy Zuccy, Buium. In fact, I could see subbing in Jiricek for Zuccy since Buium would duplicate Zuccy's role.

PP2= Rossi, Yurov, Jiricek, Faber, Tarasenko. This one would run a little differently and doesn't necessarily have that net front presence. However, Rossi can swoop in and get there. Rossi, here, would be the primary playmaker, and I could see some Jiricek bombs from the Ovechkin office. Tarasenko would play similar to where Kaprizov plays. There's a chance that Yurov comes off this PP and OgZ is put on for net front presence. 

I think both units here on paper appear to be competent. We also have some depth in case of injuries on PP1. 

I also think that this is a great place for the Wild to start using Rossi better on PP2. Now that it has a full compliment of dangerous guys, Rossi has something to work with. If Shooter is coming up empty in trading out Rossi for an acceptable return, then let's make Rossi into a very valuable player. Using the young guys on PP2 will certainly help mold them together as a core and unit. There will be mistakes, but they have to be able to learn from mistakes!

[mnfaninnc]

13 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

Three years with 2 goals and 14 assists.  That is total, so that is 5 points per year from Spurgeon on the Power Play.

I like your point in the comment, but this is a little biased. 1 season with 16 games played. Last season not much PP time. Spurgy may not be the answer here, but it's not quite the black hole portrayed. 

I am not a fan of the 5 forwards either. And, like you, I also observed panic holding the point. 

[B1GKappa97]

16 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

My biggest concern is that Hynes will yank him every time he makes a mistake.

Naw, it won't matter as much in the regular season. There's 82 games there. 

In the playoffs you only get 4 losses and with how tight of a series it was with the Knights, it made more sense not to expose him to game/series-swinging mistakes since he was just getting his first taste of the NHL.

[B1GKappa97]

22 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Warning Label: I'm going to be critical of one our most golden boy most can't miss prospects.

Zeev looked very over matched in his NHL TOI last year.  over matched size wise, over matched in terms of gap control (multiple bad decisions in this dept leading to opportunities for other team).  I know he's 19 and I know his debut was end of season/playoffs which isn't fair.  But let's see some more Zeev before we crown him the PP QB and heir apparent to Cale Makar's crown.

I'm with you on this one. I think he's gonna struggle to match the hype.

He definitely flashed some mobility and passing during the playoffs but that heralded PP-mastery and offensive zone wizardry never actually showed up from what I saw.

Yes, it was just his first handful of games against a potential Cup contender, but it was what it was. And it was not what it was hyped to be. He's definitely gotta bulk up although it sounds like he's aware of that and is working on it.

[Pewterschmidt]

16 minutes ago, B1GKappa97 said:

And it was not what it was hyped to be.

The thing about Zeev I like the most is his lack of indecision or self doubt.   Fiala showed that too before he broke out and became a legit nhl star (80+ pts).  Remember Fiala trying to stick handle thru entire team?  In that playoff game it didn’t appear that the stage was too big or lights too bright.  He was still pushing the play and aggressively defending. Mistakes aside this is the mindset we want in our young guns.  He got that dog in him. (Ogz’s got little more puppy in him and that’s why bill is making him available to the league)

Going to be fun watching Zeev develop

#ogzhottake

Edited 5 hours ago by Pewterschmidt

[MNCountryLife]

17 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Buium is not the answer to this PP%, and while he may help, the immediate help is a healthy Ek and Kaprizov. Those guys run the show on the PP. Even last season with Faber and Spurgeon on the point, if Kaprizov and Ek are in the lineup, they did much better.

Our PP and PK is why we are so easily bounced in the playoffs.  It must be better or we can expect the same results.  I think BG is banking on Tarasenko  and Buium to help the PP and Sturm to upgrade the PK a bit.  Our depth on special teams has been awful.

PP1  Kirill, Ek, Zuc, Buium, Faber  

PP2  Tarasenko, Rossi, Boldy, Spurge, Jiricek

PK1  Foligno, Ek, Spurge, Mids

PK2  Sturm, Trenin Faber,  Brodin

That beats our PP and PK from last year but I still have question marks with a few of them.  Rossi has not been great on special teams.  He could up his value with improved play here.  Trenin needs to exist in this arena. You can't pay 3.5M to a guy that does't contribute in either PP/PK.  Asking a lot of two aging vets with Tara and Zuc. 

Is Buium the answer?  No, but I expect him to bump the needle.

[SkolWild73]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

From a % yes. We also had a top heavy schedule and a much weaker competition in the 2nd half. But for me the main issue is the one I talked about as the 2nd indicator: Needing the PP goal. There are PPs out there that have a high % but can't score when it really matters. There are others with a mediocre PP%, but get the one they need. Maybe the column should be labeled PPP or Power Play under Pressure?

I guess I have no idea what our PP% was when it "mattered" and when it didn't so, I am not going to speculate on that.  I do know that we played 17 games against playoff teams when Kap was in the lineup and 23 when he wasn't, so don't think the competition was any better when he played and when he didn't play.

My main point is, our powerplay has been middle of the pack or worse every year but two years ago where it ranked tenth.  Even with Kap and Ek, we need something else, and maybe Buium will become that PP quarterback that has been missing to help us maybe add a few percentage points to our PP.  If our PP was the same percentage as Colorado or Toronto last year who were 8th and 9th, we would have had 8 more power play goals.  

[raithis]

2 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

Our PP and PK is why we are so easily bounced in the playoffs.  It must be better or we can expect the same results.  I think BG is banking on Tarasenko  and Buium to help the PP and Sturm to upgrade the PK a bit.  Our depth on special teams has been awful.

PP1  Kirill, Ek, Zuc, Buium, Faber  

PP2  Tarasenko, Rossi, Boldy, Spurge, Jiricek

PK1  Foligno, Ek, Spurge, Mids

PK2  Sturm, Trenin Faber,  Brodin

That beats our PP and PK from last year but I still have question marks with a few of them.  Rossi has not been great on special teams.  He could up his value with improved play here.  Trenin needs to exist in this arena. You can't pay 3.5M to a guy that does't contribute in either PP/PK.  Asking a lot of two aging vets with Tara and Zuc. 

Is Buium the answer?  No, but I expect him to bump the needle.

Almost every team in the league uses 4 forwards on the powerplay.  Is there a particular reason you are suggesting the Wild use two defensemen when they have an advantage rather than one?

I think I'd put someone like Hartman out there on the PP before a 2nd defenseman. 

Part of our powerplay issues seem to stem from the fact that the Wild end up passing a lot and not putting the puck on the net.  Our d-men will shoot at times, but they are still more apt to defer and pass to either Kaprizov or Boldy rather than put the puck on net themselves.

I feel like the team in general spends too much time looking for the perfect shot rather than just attacking.

Edited 3 hours ago by raithis

[Up North Guy]

3 hours ago, B1GKappa97 said:

Naw, it won't matter as much in the regular season. There's 82 games there. 

In the playoffs you only get 4 losses and with how tight of a series it was with the Knights, it made more sense not to expose him to game/series-swinging mistakes since he was just getting his first taste of the NHL.

I understand what you are saying. My point is that Hynes has already benched him once. I would not want to see a pattern of Zeev getting benched for mistakes when so many vets get chance after chance. That could kill his confidence and could be a locker room split also.

[B1GKappa97]

1 hour ago, Up North Guy said:

I understand what you are saying. My point is that Hynes has already benched him once. I would not want to see a pattern of Zeev getting benched for mistakes when so many vets get chance after chance. That could kill his confidence and could be a locker room split also.

My point is that Hynes only benched him because it was a 'win 4 games or the season is over' situation. And that won't be the case during the regular season.

You can survive him making a game-losing mistake multiple times during the course of the regular season versus the best-of-7 series in the playoffs. He'll be given far more rope this upcoming season than he was given in the Vegas series. Pretty much guaranteed. 

[mnhockeyfan03]

To make the PP better we need a RH shot on the left side for 1 timers.  Right now we have a left shot there and they can’t do 1 timers a shot which makes our PP 1 dimensional and easy for other teams PK to cheat.

 

To fix our PK we need to pressure more.  Like a lot! Dont stand still and chase like animals. Hound the other guys all over the ice. Also need to get stronger out front boxing out guys.  You need to be mean in front of the net so no one wants to go there.