Is Juuso Välimäki on Toronto Maple Leafs Radar?
The Toronto Maple Leafs put on a clinic over the last month or so on how to destroy the value of an asset.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Timothy Liljegren to a contract extention, but the arbitrarily decided that only big defenseman had any value. The new coach they hired didn't give him a single chance, and this week he was unceremoniously traded to the San Jose sharks for pretty much nothing.
They have gotten rid of Liljegren, but they don't exactly have a replacement lineup. Their top four is average at best, and their third pairing is of AHL quality.
The Leafs clearly need a defenseman, preferably a puck-mover with upside. So what about Juuso Valimaki?
Is Juuso Välimäki on Toronto Maple Leafs Radar?
One scenario recently brought up by The Athletic's Kevin Papetti is that general manager Brad Treliving could target Utah's lefthanded 26 year-old defenseman Juuso Välimäki in a trade. After starting the season with no points and a 45% expected goals rating through eight games, the Finnish born defender has been a healthy scratch for two games this week.
Treliving is known to favour some of his former players such as bringing in Oliver Ekman-Larsson this past off-season, and Välimäki was a previous first round selection by Treliving when he was the general manager of the Calgary Flames. He took him one pick ahead of Liljegren in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Like the Maple Leafs defenseman, Välimäki signed a two-year deal this past summer, but it comes at a cap hit of $1M less than Liljegren's. By acquiring the 6'4" Utah defenseman he could compete and potentially slide Simon Benoit who has struggled of late out of the lineup, while adding in puck-moving skills Benoit just doesn't have.
manual
Liljegren is gone, but the Leafs obviously can't win a cup with their current blue-line, and Valimaki is an intriguing option.