I just think Buium is that good. Only thing Silayev has on him in my opinion is size and with that reach and physicality.
Buium is a great skater, great puck handler, a really smart player and great passer, he has the poise I look for in top defensemen, and he plays hard and solid defensively. There really isn’t any weaknesses IMO. Maybe you could wish he was an inch or two taller but he’s not small.
I don’t know if he’ll ever win a Norris just because I don’t know if he’ll ever put up the level of points necessary. I could very much see him being a McAvoy or Heiskanen type defensemen who’s one of the best in the league consistently and great all over the ice but never has a great chance at the Norris because he doesn’t have the Makar or Karlsson level of production. I think he’s also extremely unlikely to completely bust if he doesn’t reach those levels and at least be a good #3 dman.
Silayev is a big, mobile, and very raw defensemen. Just because of that he has great defensive potential. But I have concerns about how smart of a player he is, whether he’s poised enough and whether he’s a good enough puck mover to be a top defensemen at the NHL level. Don’t care much about the offense just want him to be good in transition and at making smart plays with the puck. Don’t think his puck skills are good enough yet either. As some others have said he’s very much a project. Him doing well in the KHL is a great sign but I just think there was better options.