What’s the matter with Valimaki?

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by TheoFleury

Greatest Flame ever haha

That's like some serious 600/1300 level optimism

Personally I think he is Monahan/Lucic sweetener and we'll be lucky for it

Yeah, I guess I should have said 10 to get my point across. 20 is swinging for the fences lol

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

This situation feels more Baertschi than any of the others brought up to me. They aren't entirely the same, injuries being the main catalyst that likely has Valimaki in this spot, nor am I saying the end result (player progress, or even with the team) will be the same.

Based on nothing to go on but the handful of things we've heard written (so saying this is an uneducated opinion) it feels a little bit like a frustrated to player who doesn't want to still have to prove themselves or earn their place. And if the organization gives up on Valimaki, my guess is it will be because Valimaki doesn't want to put anymore work in to earning a his NHL keep, and therefore wants out - like Baertschi.

Might be off base, but that's what it feels like, and this time with Sutter at the helm I trust the view point on ready / not ready more than I did back with Baertschi. Must be tough though for Valimaki, going through such an impactful injury, to derail progress, and not be where you expected to be yet. Might be easy to point fingers to your surroundings in that type of situation. And understandable.

That said, if his mindset has migrated that way already, it's likely that it won't correct back until a change of scenery is provided. Meaning, it probably won't happen for him unless he gets moved, because he's convinced himself outside factors are the issue.

Again, pure speculation / non fact based post.

Baertschi is actually a pretty good comparison. Baertschi was derailed by injuries as well, but the real similarity (so far), is in choosing frustration over determination. Still lots of time for Valimaki, but he needs to decide that he wants it enough and is willing to do what it takes to push through.

Baertschi kept waiting for the success to happen, and often turned the blame outward when it didn't. Obviously concussions were a limiting factor, but there was still a career there for the taking.

Same with Valimaki - he needs to go home this summer, look in the mirror, and tell that guy that it is up to him.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Baertschi is actually a pretty good comparison. Baertschi was derailed by injuries as well, but the real similarity (so far), is in choosing frustration over determination. Still lots of time for Valimaki, but he needs to decide that he wants it enough and is willing to do what it takes to push through.

Baertschi kept waiting for the success to happen, and often turned the blame outward when it didn't. Obviously concussions were a limiting factor, but there was still a career there for the taking.

Same with Valimaki - he needs to go home this summer, look in the mirror, and tell that guy that it is up to him.

Another similarity might be slotting/fit challenges - Sven was a bit undersized and best suited to top 6 (though he's managed to make a bit of a go of it on 3rd lines)...tough to establish yourself when a lot of the other guys he was competing with had similar shortcomings (Cammi/Hudler/Tanguay/Byron/Gaudreau).

A bit different on the back-end, but there is a limit to how many 'flawed' (be it experience/size/defensive awareness/etc) you can fit into a D-core before you want some steady/less remarkable guys like Gudbranson. It's not that you can' have both Valimaki and Kylington in the same lineup, but it's a bit tougher when your top pair are also both under 26 and not quite established as completely trustworthy anytime/any situation guys (playoffs will be the true test, but Noah and Ras may have just now made that step).

I can believe that JV still has a higher ceiling, but at the same time think that Mackey and Kylington make a better lineup next season, and that a Michael Stone type is a better option at #7.

I think it will be a matter of weighing OK vs. JV in both AAV, trade value, and organizational trust/belief in each player.

[Classic_Sniper]

What’s wrong with Valkmaki?

To put it bluntly, Valimaki can’t skate at this level.

That probably sounds pretty harsh, but it’s honestly the biggest glaring weakness I see in him. It derails every other aspect of his game because he ultimately can’t keep up with the current pace. He’s got good offensive instincts and some nice tools, but it’s hard to use those tools when you can’t put yourself into a position to use it.

When I watch him, he’s still very raw, not a ton of refinement in his game. Then you throw in the occasional sight of him plodding out there and struggling with his balance and footwork and it’s just sort of ugly. If he can ever fix up his boots, he might have a shot on this team, but right now, it’s obvious he doesn’t belong up with the big club yet because he sticks out like a sore thumb.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk