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Zeev Buium

West Injury Updates: White, Klingberg, Buium

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San Jose Sharks forward Colin White is dealing with an upper-body injury that will sideline him on a week-to-week recovery timeline, reports Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest. It’s a tough blow for the 28-year-old center as he’ll miss an opportunity to compete in training camp and preseason games that could help him push for an NHL role. The 28-year-old 2015 first-round pick was a full-time NHLer from 2018-19, when he scored 41 points for the Ottawa Senators, through 2022-23. But persistent injury issues (White missed most of 2021-22 due to shoulder surgery) along with declining performance led to White losing his status as a full-time NHL player.

White played in 24 AHL games in 2023-24 and spent most of 2024-25 as an AHL player. He scored 25 points for the San Jose Barracuda and got into a total of three NHL games. Despite the fact that he played in his fewest NHL games of any season in the past half-decade as a Shark, White elected to re-sign in San Jose on a one-year, two-way contract carrying a $775K NHL salary, $425K AHL salary, and $475K guarantee. Now sidelined by this upper-body injury, White won’t be able to compete for a spot on the Sharks’ opening-night roster.

Some other injury updates from the Western Conference:

  • Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky also issued an update on a second injured player, veteran blueliner John Klingberg. Klingberg is also dealing with an upper-body injury and is out on a day-to-day timeline. Warsofsky added that Klingberg’s injury isn’t related to the hip issues that cost Klingberg significant time over the last two years. After signing with the Edmonton Oilers and helping them reach the Stanley Cup Final, Klingberg signed a one-year, $4MM contract in San Jose with the expectation that he’d play in a top-four role. This injury appears to be a slight setback for him, but thankfully not one likely to impact his status for the start of the season.
  • There had been some concern among fans in the Twin Cities when Minnesota Wild rookie Zeev Buium, considered by many to be a leading Calder Trophy contender, missed a third consecutive day of training camp due to injury. But Buium was a full participant at practice today and Wild coach John Hynes told reporters (including The Athletic’s Joe Smith) that Buium is progressing well and is likely to dress for the club’s preseason game on Thursday. That Buium appears to have avoided any major injury trouble is great news for the Wild, who are likely to rely on Buium quite a bit in his rookie campaign. The 19-year-old former University of Denver star is an elite puck distributor and could very well start the season quarterbacking a power play unit ahead of one of Brock Faber or Jared Spurgeon.

Snapshots: Capitals, Schmidt, Buium, Celebrini

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Training camp updates are rolling in as many teams approach their first round of cuts. The most pertinent updates came for the Washington ahead of an early-morning scrimmage. Superstar Alex Ovechkin didn’t take the ice with the team as he continues to face a day-to-day, lower-body injury per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Silber also reported that forward Justin Sourdif and defenseman Martin Fehervary continue to not take contact during practice, and thus didn’t take part in Washington’s scrimmage.

None of Washington’s updates are cause for much concern. Ovechkin is expected to continue progressing towards a return, and be held out of action as a precaution. Ovechkin will return to his perennial role on top of Washington’s lineup when the regular season kicks off. Fehervary is also still on an expected track, continuing to work his way back from a torn meniscus suffered late last season. He underwent surgery on the knee during the off-season, but has since been unable to kick minor inflammation. Once that goes down, he’ll return to a solid role in Washington’s daily lineup. Sourdif was facing illness, and should work back to full speed after taking a few laps with the non-playing group on Sunday.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Utah Mammoth defenseman Nate Schmidt was absent from the team’s Saturday practice. He was designated as day-to-day due to maintenance by head coach Andre Tourigny, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. That designation makes Schmidt’s availability over the next few days difficult, though it doesn’t seem the Mammoth are concerned about the long-term availability of their summer signing. Schmidt played a bottom-pair role on the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers last season, working his way up to 19 points in 80 games. He’ll likely fill a similar role in Utah, though brings the experience of a 741-game veteran and one-time Cup-winner to the NHL’s newest club.
  • Continuing the list of absences was top Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium, who missed his third-consecutive practice on Sunday per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Russo pointed out that Buium did skate with Jonas Brodin before practice started. Again, Buium’s ailment isn’t expected to be a serious issue, head coach John Hynes told Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Buium will be pushing for a starring role on the Wild roster this season, after playing the first four games of his NHL career in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. He recorded one assist and four penalty minutes in those outings. An extended absence will make a run to the NHL a bit tougher, but the one-time NCAA National Champion should have no problem convincing the Wild brass when he’s back to full health.
  • In a positive swing, San Jose Sharks star centerman Macklin Celebrini returned to the team’s practices after missing multiple days to illness, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Celebrini won’t take part in San Jose’s first preseason game, though he’ll otherwise be fully on track to return to the role of San Jose’s top forward when the season kicks off. Celebrini scored 63 points in 70 games as a rookie last season, marking a franchise record in San Jose.

Snapshots: Ullmark, Buium, Sturm, Grzelcyk

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Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark is ready to enter the year with a high bar. He was heavily critical of his performances through the first two days of training camp, describing them as “terrible” to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Head coach Travis Green wasn’t as harsh, telling Garioch that he thought Ullmark was fine through both days, and only being hard on himself.

While harsh words could be a sign of poor confidence, the Senators have to be encouraged by signs of a high bar from their star netminder. Ullmark posted a career-low .910 save percentage through 44 games last season, his first in Ottawa. That mark still ranked as  the seventh-highest in the NHL, but was well below Ullmark’s career-long .917 save percentage. The Senators pay Ullmark a lofty $8.25MM cap hit, beginning this season. That will make finding a path back to elite performance a must for the 32-year-old netminder, and former Vezina Trophy winner.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Top Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium sustained an upper-body injury during the team’s Thursday practice, and missed Friday’s practice as a result, per Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Nico Sturm was also absent for a designated maintenance day. McLellan adds that head coach John Hynes wasn’t concerned about Buium’s injury. That’s good news for Buium, who is looking to make the NHL roster in his first NHL training camp. He was a prolific collegiate defensemen – netting 24 goals, 98 points, one conference championship, and one national championship in 83 games and two seasons with the University of Denver. Buium was a main cog in the Pioneeers’ offense, and will now look to use that instinct to impress Minnesota’s coaching staff. Per this update, he’ll get back to doing just that within the next few days.
  • Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill shed some more light on the team’s plans for Matt Grzelcyk’s professional try-out. He told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times that Grzelcyk will likely only get a contract if one of the team’s young defensemen doesn’t look NHL-ready out of camp. Chicago will roll out the carpet for Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Kevin Korchinski at training camp. All three are high-upside defenders, each boasting their own reasons for excitement next season. But Rinzel hasn’t yet played through an extended run in the NHL, and Korchinski has proven shaky in past opportunities. It’s still hard to bet against either player, but Chicago made sure to hedge their bets with an NHL veteran coming off a 40-point season. Grzelcyk has played through nine NHL seasons and 527 games – and should be stout depth should the Hawks need to let one of their youngsters simmer a little while longer.

Poll: Who Is The Early Favorite To Win The 2026 Calder Trophy?

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The hockey world was treated to a true gift by the race for the 2025 Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s top rookie. The class lived up to years of expectations, headlined by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson tying Larry Murphy for the most assists by a rookie defender. He took home the Calder ahead of San Jose Sharks top center Macklin Celebrini and Calgary Flames starting goaltender Dustin Wolf – who both managed star-studded and historic performances of their own. The heap of talent left players who could have won the trophy outright in seemingly any other year – options like 26-goal-scorer Matvei Michkov. A rookie class so strong will be impossible to follow up, but the group in 2025-26 seem to have a great chance to come close.

Early predictions will have the Calder Trophy staying put through in 2026. The Canadiens are set to award star rookie Ivan Demidov with his first NHL season, after he led KHL super-club SKA St. Petersburg with in scoring with 49 points in 62 games last season. He was a sheer force at Russia’s top level, showing a pace, strength, and finesse that was unmatched by his competition. Demidov finished the year with five points in six Gagarin Cup Playoff matchups, before scoring four points in his first seven games with Montreal.

Demidov is now set to assume a key role in the Canadiens’ lineup. It’s hard to imagine he won’t play true top-line minutes. He offers the in-tight skill and low-zone grit to perfectly complement spot-shooter Cole Caufield and playmaking, two-way center Nick Suzuki. The stars will be Demidov’s ceiling if he gets a full year to such talented players. He nearly recorded a 20-30-50 season in the KHL – a league often lauded as near-equal to the NHL. That standing could set him up for 60, or even 70, points in his first year with Montreal.

It will be a tight race to catch up to, and overcome, Demidov. A slew of star collegiate players signed their entry-level contracts at the end of the season, and could easily be set for major minutes of their own. Sam Rinzel fills a need for right-shot defense for the Blackhawks and Oliver Moore seemed to bring his slick-passing to Chicago, Gabe Perreault looked like a strong utility player with the New York Rangers, and Ryan Leonard showed an ability to match the Washington Capitals’ pace.

And yet, all four could be outdone by Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium, who managed an impressive 98 points in 83 games at the University of Denver. He appeared in four Stanley Cup Playoff games, but only managed one assist. Also atop the defense charts is top KHL defender Alexander Nikishin, who ended a stalemate when he finally joined the Carolina Hurricanes for the playoffs. Nikishin ranked second on SKA St. Petersburg with 46 points in 61 games, and matched Buium’s postseason statline.

Even still, the OHL could emerge. Sam Dickinson served as the star of the 2025 Memorial Cup-winning London Knights, and seems well-primed for a big role with the desolate San Jose Sharks. He could be joined by the reigning ’OHL Player of the Year’ Michael Misa, who managed an incredible 62 goals and 134 points in 65 OHL games last season. Misa was drafted second in this year’s class, with New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer the only selection before him. The smooth-moving, sharp-eyed Schaefer could be another Calder candidate, though he hasn’t played a season-game since sustaining a broken collarbone during the World Junior Championships last December.

It will be hard for any player to rival the record-breaking heights that Hutson reached last season, but the list of candidates looking to follow him up seems endless. Any one of the aforementioned players could find their way into a star role, or the award could go to someone entirely different – like 2025 Hobey Baker Award-winner and Edmonton Oilers winger Isaac Howard.

With so much talent on the board, who do you think will win the 2026 Calder Trophy? If you choose ’Other’, comment your pick below!

Who Is The Early Favorite To Win The 2026 Calder Trophy?
Ivan Demidov, Canadiens 57.40% (477 votes)
Alexander Nikishin, Hurricanes 15.88% (132 votes)
Zeev Buium, Wild 14.68% (122 votes)
Matthew Schaefer, Islanders 12.03% (100 votes)
Total Votes: 831

Mobile users click here to vote.

Morning Notes: Marner, Stars, Buium, Lindholm

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were without star winger Mitch Marner at Sunday morning’s practice, as Marner attends to the birth of his first child. He isn’t expected to miss any time, helped along by Toronto’s second round matchup against the Florida Panthers beginning at home on Monday. Marner finally broke through the 100-point glass ceiling this season, scoring a career-high 102 points in 81 games played. He also recorded just 14 penalty minutes – a career-low. Those marks have carried into the postseason, with Marner netting one goal, eight points, and no penalties in six games of the first round. He is notably just under two months away from hitting the open market, unless Toronto can manage an eight-figure contract extension before July 1st. Marner is performing at a top mark at the perfect time – but he’ll have to hold onto the scoring role if Toronto wants to get by a Panthers lineup that averaged the fifth-most goals-per-game in the first round.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Dallas Stars head coach told the media on Sunday that it is still unlikely Jason Robertson or Miro Heiskanen are ready for the start of the second round, per Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News. DeBoer did share a glimmer of hope, though, adding that both players should be good to go at some point during round two. The Stars lineup will undeniably improve when they receive their top goal-scorer and top defender back from prolonged injury – an exciting thought to consider after they beat the Colorado Avalanche in a seven-game series. Robertson and Heiskanen – who both have returned to skating at optional practices – will have at least four more games to work their way back into the lineup.
  • Star prospect Zeev Buium only appeared in four games before the Minnesota Wild were eliminated from playoff contention. He performed well in those appearances, netting one assist and four penalty minutes from a depth role, and now faces the a transitional summer as he moves from college to the NHL full-time. Buium hasn’t shared too many details of what the summer will look like, but he did announce that he’ll join Team USA at the World Championship, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Buium represented his country at the World U18 Championshp in 2023 – netting six points in seven games – and at each of the last two World Juniors – where he combined for 11 points in 14 games. Now, he’ll get to join the Americans at the top flight – stepping onto a blue-line full of young-and-upcoming defensive talent. Buium will fight for a role over Mason Lohrei, Jackson LaCombe, and Michael Kesselring.
  • Speaking of Worlds, the Boston Bruins have shared that centerman Elias Lindholm will join the Team Sweden roster immediately. Lindholm hasn’t played at this tournament since 2019, when he scored six points in eight games. That was Lindholm’s third-consecutive season joining the Swedes at the World Championship. Across the trio of years, he combined for 19 points in 26 games. Lindholm’s only opportunity to represent Sweden since 2020 came earlier this year, when he participated in three games of the 4-Nations Face-Off and managed no scoring. Lindholm totaled 47 points in 82 games of the NHL season, his lowest scoring pace since he recorded 21 points in 58 games as a rookie.

Wild Sign Zeev Buium To Entry-Level Deal

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April 13: Buium signed his three-year entry-level deal today and will join the team immediately, Minnesota confirmed. Per Michael Russo of The Athletic, his deal carries a $975K cap hit, including $97.5K in signing bonuses per season. There’s a $25K bonus in his deal if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy this season, allowing Minnesota to max out his Schedule ’A’ performance bonuses in the second and third years of the contract.

April 11: The Minnesota Wild are expected to sign star defense prospect Zeev Buium to his entry-level contract in the coming days. Wild general manager Bill Guerin appeared on Minnesota’s KFAN-1003 to share the news per Joe Smith of The Athletic. Buium later told Smith that he would join the Wild at their Monday practice, just ahead of their season finale on Tuesday. Minnesota has all but clinched the top Western Conference Wild Card – though they could theoretically lose their top spot should they lose their final three games, the Calgary Flames win each of their final four games, and the St. Louis Blues win at least one of their final two games.

The Wild will lean on Buium to help them through their final push towards the postseason. When discussing his ice time, Guerin remarked, “He’ll play. These kids are different, man. They’re ready for this stuff.”

It’s hard to question Guerin’s claim. Buium was far and away the star of the Denver lineup over his two seasons in school. He supported the school to a national championship in his freshman year while leading all collegiate defensemen in scoring with 50 points in 42 games. He also recorded a plus-33 – tied with his brother Shai Buium for fourth-highest in the league. With brother Shai and star partner Sean Behrens both signing in the AHL, Zeev was able to graduate to Denver’s No. 1 defender role this year. He repeated as the NCAA’s top-scoring defenseman with 48 points in 41 games and helped push Denver to the Frozen Four before their semi-final elimination at the hands of a double-overtime loss to Western Michigan University.

Buium was worth the price of admission with the Pioneers. He was constantly involved in play through all three zones and moved quickly up the ice with long strides. Buium earned control of the puck quickly and stayed on it with strong stickhandling. He drove Denver’s movement up the ice and had a special knack for creating time and space from off the offensive blue line. Buium beat opponents cleanly and repeatedly this season. With this news, he’ll get to test his fancy puck-handling and nose for the net against the top flight. His 1.18 points per game in college hockey are the third-highest from a defender through multiple seasons since 2000 – behind Lane Hutson (1.26) and Adam Fox (1.20).

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.

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