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“We talked about everything — that they got a lot of phone calls and he had to talk about me a lot,” Valimaki revealed of Tuesday’s yak with Treliving. “Nothing too specific, but we had a couple-minute chat and he said that my future is here. That’s what they want, and that’s what I want.

“Knowing a little bit about the business already, I don’t think it’s that common that GMs call to players, so I really appreciate it and I told him it means a lot to hear this stuff straight from him. Obviously, you hear a lot of stuff — you talk to your agent, you talk to a lot of different people — but when you actually hear stuff from straight up top, that means a lot.”

The 20-year-old defenceman, Treliving had to tell several of his counterparts, is untouchable.

“It meant a lot to hear they weren’t willing to give me up for any price and obviously you really appreciate and respect that as a player,” Valimaki said. “For me, that also gives me confidence, gives me extra motivation to show them that they’re right. You know, to just put in a little extra work — if you can even do that — to show everyone they made the right decision and I’m worth that.”

“Lots of real smart guys like you write stuff that maybe Juuso is in these talks,” Treliving teased. “I just told him that our No. 1 objective was to add to our team — and we did that with Oscar (Fantenberg) — but on some of the bigger stuff, the only way we get into those talks was with him going in there, and he’s not going anywhere.

“He’s going to be a big part of this team. I think he is going to be a part of the team now. He’s going to be a part of the team in the future. I’m not putting him on the plank, and I just wanted him to hear that.

https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey...ay-untouchable