Amazing that he got claimed. 1.55 for a tweener is too high.
I loved Valimaki and thought he was a great pick, but he was clearly behind Mackey and Meloche during preseason, nevermind Stone and everyone above that. A young defence and another prospect on the farm like Poirier who would probably pass him this season - I am relieved he got claimed.
Valimaki was a fantastic pick at the draft, but somehow the wheels fell off. Maybe it was injury, maybe attitude (someone mentioned twitter and instagram posts that he 'liked' that made mention of trading him, or putting him on another team - if so, good riddance, as attitude is just as big of a roadblock to development as injuries are).
Maybe he finds his game in Arizona, maybe not. I don't really care. I am happy that the Flames have more flexibility now. They can manage their roster a bit better, they can claim someone else that another team is trying to sneak through on Monday, they can have that cap space to help in a trade, or just bank it until the trade deadline. 1.55 for a tweener is way too much, and having .425 sitting on the farm as dead space is a waste, especially when it comes to banking cap.
I guess that at least one scout or GM noticed how good Valimaki was early in his career. However, I will put my chips on what I consider to be the league's best "defencemen whisperer" Darryl Sutter who consistently helps both young and old defencemen become better. Really pleasantly surprised.
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