Utah HC Place Former First Round Pick on Waivers
Juuso Valimaki was a great waiver pickup for the now Utah Hockey Club, but now, his time with the team could be over after being waived on Sunday.
The Utah Hockey Club have shown great promise thus far in 2024/25, but without the depth of elite level talent of other teams in the Western Conference, they're on the verge of another failed campaign and a missed Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Now, they've made a surprising move on Sunday, as it has been officially announced that they have waived 26-year old blue liner Juuso Valimaki, who was off to one of the worst starts in his NHL career.
After first arriving in Arizona, Valimaki posted a career high of 34 points, but since then he's struggled to dominate at the same pace, posting just 2 goals and 5 points through 43 games this season along with a -5 differential.
Valimaki was a first-round pick of the Calgary Flames back in 2017, but was waived shortly into his NHL career after struggling, and now, there's likely to be significant interest in him as a low-risk option for teams in need of defensive depth.
With high hopes this season, Valimaki was considered to be a potential star on their blue line alongside the likes of Mikhail Sergachev, but now, there's questions about his potential future in the league.
This all comes just days after representing Finland at the Four Nations Face Off, so while the talent is there, he needs to prove that he can still hang at the NHL level, so with a $2 million cap hit both this season and next, there's likely to be a team that believes in that potential, especially with time on his side at the age of 26.
![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates scoring against Team Canada during the first period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531393.webp "Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates scoring against Team Canada during the first period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images")
