[Signing] Coyotes sign Valimaki to 1 year contract extension - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

GreenLantern2814 · 01-24-2023, 02:47 PM

Connor Mackey’s 7.2 GA/60 makes him the worst 5v5 player in the league.

Valimaki is 2.97 GA/60 is 201 spots better.

He didn’t get along with Sutter, and his ceiling was closer to Luke Schenn than Luke Hughes, but keeping Mackey over him from a talent perspective was always the wrong decision.

Gilbert is better than both, IMO.

Yeah_Baby · 01-24-2023, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Connor Mackey’s 7.2 GA/60 makes him the worst 5v5 player in the league.

Valimaki is 2.97 GA/60 is 201 spots better.

He didn’t get along with Sutter, and his ceiling was closer to Luke Schenn than Luke Hughes, but keeping Mackey over him from a talent perspective was always the wrong decision.

Gilbert is better than both, IMO.

Certainty spoke volumes when Gilbert stayed in the line up over Mackey.

Bonded · 01-24-2023, 02:55 PM

I still don't think Tre thought Valimaki would get claimed with his contract. Hopefully he can make it on the Coyotes. It is not like he would be a difference maker in Calgary. Looks like most of his points still came off his hot start.

dino7c · 01-24-2023, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Connor Mackey’s 7.2 GA/60 makes him the worst 5v5 player in the league.

Valimaki is 2.97 GA/60 is 201 spots better.

He didn’t get along with Sutter, and his ceiling was closer to Luke Schenn than Luke Hughes, but keeping Mackey over him from a talent perspective was always the wrong decision.

Gilbert is better than both, IMO.

If you totally ignore their contracts...Vali was overpaid....one team of 32 thought he was worth putting on a roster at that contract and that team has negotiated him to make less next season

GreenLantern2814 · 01-24-2023, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonded

I still don't think Tre thought Valimaki would get claimed with his contract. Hopefully he can make it on the Coyotes. It is not like he would be a difference maker in Calgary. Looks like most of his points still came off his hot start.

Still should’ve gambled Mackey - we’d have him back by now as he can’t go 10 minutes without allowing a goal.

GreenLantern2814 · 01-24-2023, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dino7c

If you totally ignore their contracts...Vali was overpaid....one team of 32 thought he was worth putting on a roster at that contract and that team has negotiated him to make less next season

Valimaki made $1.5M (Mackey makes $912k) and they have $900k in cap space today.

They would’ve been able to fit him in.

Again, I get that his welcome was worn out.

Gilbert is better than both (1.4 GA/60, best on the team).

Strange Brew · 01-24-2023, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

This is a pretty obvious situation to me. Coyotes like the player and wanted to lock him down cheap for another year before his TOI/role increased with Chychrun and Gostisbehere gone. Juuso likes the fit and the coach and wanted stability after having missed so much time early in his career (and knew he wasn't in a spot to command more than his current AAV).

Nothing worth humming and hawing about. The only reasonable response to this news, to me, is to be happy for a player who's still working to get established in the NHL again after terrible injury luck.

You follow the Coyotes much more than i do so will defer to you.

But I will speculate they don't like him all that much. This is very close to league minimum. To me this is saying Valimaki has another year to prove he is an NHLer you can actually compete with.

It is interesting they he signed this deal so soon. He just doesn't strike me as a player with a whole lot of self confidence.

TheScorpion · 01-24-2023, 04:36 PM

Oh I think he still has plenty to prove but his pairing with Moser has been pretty good and I think Tourigny genuinely likes him. His minutes were cut when Chychrun got back and I expect they'll go up again once he's gone.

Don't think he's a top guy or anything close on a top team. But I think he could develop into a mid-rotation guy on a good team.

dino7c · 01-24-2023, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Valimaki made $1.5M (Mackey makes $912k) and they have $900k in cap space today.

They would’ve been able to fit him in.

Again, I get that his welcome was worn out.

Gilbert is better than both (1.4 GA/60, best on the team).

I wasn't worried about fitting him in, team is banking that cap space

not really worried about either guy they are both tweeners at best. Vali is lucky there are 32 teams now

Jiri Hrdina · 01-24-2023, 04:56 PM

If hockey doesn't work out for him, he can go work for a paper company in the UK.

Hockey_Ninja · 01-24-2023, 05:43 PM

Good for him. Glad he’s been able to find some stability somewhere. Sucks it didn’t work out on the Flames

transplant99 · 01-24-2023, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Oh I think he still has plenty to prove but his pairing with Moser has been pretty good and I think Tourigny genuinely likes him. His minutes were cut when Chychrun got back and I expect they'll go up again once he's gone.

Don't think he's a top guy or anything close on a top team. But I think he could develop into a mid-rotation guy on a good team.

Mid rotation ....meaning? Not a 3/4....cause that indication is long gone.

I thought he would be a player for sure.

But he truly worked himself out of a job here.

Glad he has another year to change minds but he would easily be behind Stone and Mackey here at this point....IMO.

TheScorpion · 01-24-2023, 06:13 PM

I could see him eventually becoming a 3 or a 4. Defencemen can take a while

transplant99 · 01-24-2023, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I could see him eventually becoming a 3 or a 4. Defencemen can take a while

Yeah they can and its a hard position to forecast for....no question.

They just usually dont increase mobilty AND decision making as they age, and i think thats where he is limited now.

The injuries really really hurt him (and at a bad time) in his development, and IMO too late to get them back.

Future star in the SEL or Liiga im thinking.

Aarongavey · 01-24-2023, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bingo

Essentially they didn't choose Mackey, Desimone or Gilbert over Valimaki. They all got sent down, Valimaki was the only one claimed.

Ya they choose Rooney over him but not any of those dman.

boogerz · 01-24-2023, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Connor Mackey’s 7.2 GA/60 makes him the worst 5v5 player in the league.

Valimaki is 2.97 GA/60 is 201 spots better.

He didn’t get along with Sutter, and his ceiling was closer to Luke Schenn than Luke Hughes, but keeping Mackey over him from a talent perspective was always the wrong decision.

Gilbert is better than both, IMO.

Gilbert is also heavily sheltered. He's mostly lining up against bottom-sixers (e.g. Sharangovich, Hathaway, Bellemare, etc).

Valimaki plays on the second pairing with JJ Moser at ES and actually does get matched up against high quality competition every night. The top opposing players that Valimaki has shared the ice with this season by icetime: Tkachuk, Connor, Kakko, Nicholas Roy, and Kaprizov. There's a couple impressive names on that list.

Detractors can poo-poo on Valimaki and say that he's "just a #6 dman on an awful team", but he has earned this extension, and for all intents and purposes, is proving that he can play against NHLers. That's more than the Flames can say about their cast of journeymen #7 dmen

bizaro86 · 01-24-2023, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

You follow the Coyotes much more than i do so will defer to you.

But I will speculate they don't like him all that much. This is very close to league minimum. To me this is saying Valimaki has another year to prove he is an NHLer you can actually compete with.

It is interesting they he signed this deal so soon. He just doesn't strike me as a player with a whole lot of self confidence.

Probably makes sense for both sides. Coyotes get a warm body that can play D with maybe some upside if things go right at league minimum.

Vali locks in another $1,000,000 USD in earnings. That's a decent % improvement to his career total, and is a big chunk more than he'd make anywhere else. It also keeps him in the NHL, which is key for future potential earnings as well - if he can't hold the #7 D on the coyotes spot he's done with the league...

Strange Brew · 01-25-2023, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I could see him eventually becoming a 3 or a 4. Defencemen can take a while

They do, but if he had that kind of potential he’s be worth more than a one year deal near league minimum.

He needs to prove he’s an NHLer before being a second pair guy IMO.

Kidder · 01-25-2023, 02:56 AM

And he celebrates his new contract extension by taking a match penalty against the Ducks and gets ejected from the game. An ugly retaliatory slash.

The Ducks score the eventual game winner on the 5 minute major.

McG · 01-25-2023, 07:42 AM

Waivers don’t work in the “only 1 team wanted him” way. All of the teams after coyotes could have put in a claim, but coyotes were the first/lowest team. It’s not likely but there could have been a few teams. It was at the end of training camp so everyone was juggling rosters.

I’m happy for the player.

He is too young for the flames current coach anyways. Best to get him out for nothing.