Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Juuso Valimaki

Juuso Valimaki, Barrett Hayton Recalled From Loan

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With training camp now right around the corner, players loaned all over the world will begin to make their return to North America. For the Arizona Coyotes, that means Barrett Hayton is on his way back, his loan ended with Ilves in Finland after eight games. Hayton registered four assists in his overseas stint and will return to the Coyotes with the hopes of becoming a full-time NHL player this season.

In 20 games last year, Hayton scored one goal and four points. He was allowed to leave and participate in the World Juniors, where he captained Team Canada to a gold medal but suffered a shoulder injury in the process. When the Coyotes returned for the postseason bubble, Hayton suited up three times but failed to record a point. Selected fifth overall in 2018, the 6’1″ forward has plenty of offensive upside and a work ethic to take him far, if given the opportunity. He’ll try to take over as one of the leaders in Arizona this season.

Ilves has also announced that the loan of Juuso Valimaki has ended and the Calgary Flames defenseman will also be traveling back to North America. Valimaki played in 19 games and registered 19 points, a great sign after missing the entire 2019-20 season with injury. The 16th overall pick in 2017, Valimaki had looked ready to take on a full-time role in the NHL when he suffered a major knee injury, tearing his ACL in offseason training. He didn’t play a single game last season but after an outstanding performance in Finland, he looks ready to bounce back as if he missed no development time at all.

Calgary Flames Seeking Right Side Defenseman

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The Calgary Flames addressed the right side of their blue line in a big way earlier this off-season, stealing free agent Chris Tanev from the rival Vancouver Canucks. Tanev is a solid two-way defenseman who has earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike over his career. He should settle in nicely as the replacement for T.J. Brodie in the top-four for Calgary, with young Rasmus Andersson beginning a new contract of his own that comes with higher expectations. Someone from the left side can slide over as well, with captain Mark Giordano, young standout Noah Hanifin, top prospect Juuso Valimaki, and recent import Nikita Nesterov under contract and restricted free agent Oliver Kylington awaiting a contract extension.

However, that apparently isn’t enough for the Flames on the right side. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that GM Brad Treliving is still actively seeking another right side defenseman, evaluating both the free agent and trade markets. Whether this is due to Tanev’s injury history or Andersson’s inexperience, it is believed that Treliving would like to add another established right-handed defenseman. However, that may be easier said than done given Calgary’s salary cap situation. The aforementioned six defensemen under contract are part of a group of CapFriendly’s current roster projection of 21 players that comes in just about $1MM under the salary cap ceiling. With Kylington in need of a new deal and one more body required to round out the roster, the Flames don’t have enough cap space as is. Adding a significant name will be difficult without moving out considerable salary.

Ironically, the remnants of the free agent market at right side defense includes a number of familiar names. First and foremost, Travis Hamonic is the exact veteran defenseman that the Flames are trying to replace. Hamonic spent the three seasons with Calgary and alongside Brodie and Andersson made for a solid starting group on the right side. While it was seemingly a done deal that Hamonic would be leaving Calgary, emphasized by his opting out of the postseason, Hamonic’s name has not made much noise this off-season and he could decide to return to the Flames for another year if there are no superior options. Of course, Hamonic will not come cheap. Michael Stone was another member of the Flames’ right side this past season (and for parts of the past four seasons) and could make the easy transition back to the team. Veteran Deryk Engelland is also still available and could return to Calgary after three years with the Vegas Golden Knights, while Dalton Prout could return as a depth option after a one-year hiatus with the San Jose Sharks. If the Flames can move some salary to add a legitimate starter, the top free agent target would be Sami Vatanen. However, more realistic free agent options for Calgary’s budget in addition to Stone, Engelland, and Prout include Jan Rutta, Korbinian Holzer, Yannick Weber, Christian Folin, and Cody Goloubef.

Of course, if the Flames need to move out salary anyhow, the trade market may make more sense than merely signing a free agent. With a number of teams still scrambling to get their rosters set for next season under the shadow of the flat salary cap, there could be plenty of willing partners who might have a right side defenseman to spare in exchange for a similarly priced forward. Backup goaltender David Rittich, whose $2.75MM cap hit reflects a greater role than he will likely play behind big free agent addition Jacob Markstrom, could also be attractive to a number of teams still seeking a reliable backup.

One way or another, don’t be surprised if the Flames are not done making moves this off-season. Between their desire to add to the right side of the blue line and their need to clear cap space in order to complete the roster, Calgary is bound to be scouring the trade and free agent markets for a while longer.

Calgary Flames Loan Juuso Valimaki To Ilves

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While many players and prospects have been loaned overseas ahead of the unknown start date of the 2020-21 NHL season, few need the the head start as much as the Calgary Flames’ Juuso Valimaki. The promising young defenseman missed the entire 2019-20 season and postseason after suffering a torn ACL last fall. Yet, with five veteran defensemen about to hit the free agent market, the Flames are trusting that Valimaki can return to form and take on a top role on the blue line right away next season. After so much time away from the game, it will take more than just training camp to get Valimaki up to speed ahead of the new year.

Cue Tampereen Ilves of the Finnish Liiga. Calgary announced that they have loaned Valimaki to Ilves to get him game action before he returns to North America. Valimaki is familiar with the club, having played in their youth system, including a year with the U20 team in the top Finnish junior league, before making the jump to the WHL and eventually the NHL.

With Ilves, Valimaki will be able to get used to playing the major minutes that the Flames may expect of him this coming season. A relatively young team, Ilves has just a handful of players that are considerably older than 21-year-old Valimaki. They have also not received anyone on loan from the NHL prior to Valimaki outside of a trio of prospects – Lassi Thomson, Arrtu Ruotsalainen, and Lukas Dostal – who were on loan all of last season as well. Valimaki will have a chance to take on a key role for the team and should be ready to go once he is recalled by Calgary.

 

Juuso Valimaki Unlikely To Re-Join Flames This Year

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While there is an ever-growing list of players previously deemed to be out for the season that are now appearing likely to be available to their respective teams at some point in the upcoming expanded postseason, don’t expect young Calgary Flames defenseman Juuso Valimaki to join the trend. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports that Valimaki, who has missed the whole 2019-20 season, is not likely to re-join the Flames in their qualifying round match-up with the Winnipeg Jets or at any point in the playoffs should they advance. The risk, both to the player and team, outweigh the potential gains in this situation and Francis does not believe that Calgary will take the chance.

Health continues to be the major issue at hand when it comes to Valimaki. The 21-year-old defenseman suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during off-season training last summer. He underwent surgery in late August. By all accounts, including that of Flames GM Brad Treliving, recovery and rehab from ACL reconstruction is ten months to a year. While Valimaki has been participating in voluntary skates with his teammates in Calgary, he has yet to be medically cleared by the team’s medical staff. If he is on pace for the latter end of that expected timeline, Valimaki would not be prepared for game action by the time the knockout round is set to begin and would have to prove he is up to the physical requirements of playoff hockey should the Flames advance.

However, the non-medical reason behind not playing Valimaki may be even more compelling. As Francis details, Calgary has more long-term, team building considerations to take into account in the form of the impending 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Assuming the Flames protect seven forwards and three defensemen in the draft, they would eliminate a very difficult decision if Valimaki does not play a game this season. The young blue liner used up his first season of pro competition as a rookie in 2018-19, but will not be credited with a year of service if he does not play this year. This would make him ineligible for draft exposure, as only those with more than two years of pro service may be selected. However, should Valimaki play even one game this year, he would require protection in next summer’s draft or otherwise would be picked off by Seattle. Francise believes that Flames defenders Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson are locks for protection and that Valimaki would be as well if eligible, leaving veteran captain and top defender Mark Giordano exposed and a very likely candidate to be selected.

Playing Valimaki this season is not worth that risk. The young defenseman is very talented but has not played competitive hockey in over a year and it is hard to imagine that his surgically reconstructed knee or even his conditioning would be ready for an immediate jump into postseason play. On top of that, the Flames have Giordano, Hanifin, Andersson, T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic, Oliver Kylington and Michael Stone to lean on, making Valimaki an expendable piece of this year’s playoff run, especially if it helps to maintain the roster for future title chances.

Pacific Notes: Sharks, Valimaki, Coyotes

at CDT | by 3 Comments

As a result of the big-ticket contracts that the Sharks have handed out in recent years, the Sharks have become a team that isn’t able to afford much in the way of depth.  As things stand, they already have more than $52MM locked up in their top-seven players for next year (plus 2021-22) which doesn’t leave a lot of room to round out their roster, especially if the jump in the Upper Limit of the salary cap is minimal.  Despite that, GM Doug Wilson told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that he doesn’t view that as an impediment towards making improvements:

To win in this league, I think you have to have a bit deeper of a core. I don’t think you can be carried by just one or two players. When you look at the positions those guys play, center, defense or power wingers, it allows you to bring in people around them. I think how we’ve dedicated our dollars is to the proper positions. We’ll have some opportunities to grow this team. But I don’t think I look at it as a big an issue as (an outsider) would.

Overall, San Jose has nearly $63MM in commitments to just a dozen players for next season, per CapFriendly.  That will leave the Sharks some wiggle room to replenish their depth but it’s hard to imagine they’ll be shopping at the top of the free agent pool.

More from the Pacific:

  • The Flames have been without defenseman Juuso Valimaki all season as he works his way back from knee surgery but GM Brad Treliving told reporters, including Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson, that the youngster has resumed skating. There is no timetable for his return and it’s worth noting that if he plays even a single game this season, he’ll accrue a season of service time.  That’s notable for expansion implications; if he plays this year, he’ll require protection but if he doesn’t he won’t.  But with Calgary in a tough battle for position, they’re also not in a spot where they can afford to hold him out with that in mind either.
  • The Coyotes are under investigation by the NHL for allegedly performing fitness testing on CHL draft-eligible players, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger in the latest Insider Trading. Teams are not permitted to test players in advance of the Draft Combine which typically runs in late May/early June.  Dreger notes that multiple CHL teams have reported contact by Arizona which has them on the radar of the NHL now.  The minimum fine for each violation is $250K.

Snapshots: Canadiens, Valimaki, Fiala

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While Montreal’s attempt to sign Carolina center Sebastian Aho through an offer sheet drew some headlines, they have largely been quiet beyond that.  However, head coach Claude Julien suggested that the Canadiens may not yet have their roster for the upcoming season settled.  Speaking with reporters including Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link), Julien indicated that there are still some things being discussed and accordingly, he didn’t want to assess the state of the roster at this time.  Montreal is likely to have $6MM or more in cap room once they get down to a 23-man roster in training camp which gives them lots of flexibility to work with in that regard although, with 48 contracts on the books already out of the max of 50, they may want to clear a contract out at the same time they try to bring someone in.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • While it was announced nearly three weeks ago that Flames defenseman Juuso Valimaki tore his ACL in offseason training and needed surgery, Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson notes that the procedure has yet to happen. Instead, it appears as if it’s still a few weeks away from happening.  Considering the swelling that can often accompany this type of injury, the delay is certainly understandable but at the same time, knowing the recovery period is usually at least six months, it’s increasing the likelihood that the 20-year-old will miss the entire season.  Calgary has brought Andrew MacDonald in on a PTO for camp but it wouldn’t be surprising if they look to make another move to bring in a replacement.
  • While new Minnesota GM Bill Guerin wasted little time getting a restricted free agent officially signed with center Joel Eriksson Ek, don’t expect a quick resolution on their other NHL RFA. Guerin told Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link) that it’s merely status quo on talks regarding winger Kevin Fiala.  Former Wild GM Paul Fenton paid a high price tag in forward Mikael Granlund to bring him in at the trade deadline with the hopes that he’d break out but it didn’t happen.  Instead, he finished with 39 points in 83 games, a drop of nine points from the prior year.  On the surface, he makes sense as a potential bridge deal candidate, especially as training camp gets closer.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top