Juuso Valimaki

After struggling to find a regular role with the Flames, Valimaki was impressive during his first season in Arizona. He tallied four goals and 30 assists, including 11 power-play assists, while averaging 18:11 of ice time through 78 games. Prior to the 2022-23 campaign, he averaged just 15:29 of ice time with 16 points in 82 games with Calgary. Valimaki finished seventh on the Coyotes in points and led all blueliners. Most of his production came later in the season; he scored 22 points while averging 22:35 of ice time over his final 32 contests. He's not very physical, be he did block 98 shots while adding 59 PIM. It wouldn't be unreasonable to think Valimaki can maintain roughly a half-point-per-game pace in his age-25 campaign as he's seemingly cemented himself in Arizona's top-four.

Valimaki looked like a potential top-four defenseman for the Flames early in his professional career, but injuries have derailed his development and he's never been able to get back on track. He played just nine games with Calgary (two assists) last season, instead playing most of the year (35 games) with the team's AHL affiliate in Stockton. The Finn will play the entirety of this upcoming season at age 24, so time is still on his side, but as it stands it appears Valimaki will serve as Calgary's No. 7 defenseman, meaning he's going to find himself in the press box most nights unless a teammate suffers an injury.

Valimaki finally remained (mostly) healthy a season ago, dressing in 49 of Calgary's 56 regular-season games. He posted 11 points during that span in addition to a minus-2 rating while averaging just 15:26 of ice time per game, including just 0:14 per night with the man advantage. The good news for Valimaki is he's expected to see a significant bump in ice time following the departure of Flames captain Mark Giordano to the Kraken in the expansion draft. Rasmus Andersson ran Calgary's top power-play unit most of last season and struggled in that role, so it'll be interesting to see if Valimaki gets a shot in that spot at some point during the upcoming campaign.

Valimaki's recovery from an ACL injury kept him off the ice for all of the 2019-20 season. The Finn has struggled with health since he was drafted in the first round in 2017 by the Flames. However, he's picked up playing time in his native Finland while awaiting the start of the 2020-21 season in North America. All signs point to Valimaki filling an NHL role this year, although how much playing time the 22-year-old will receive is uncertain. He's certainly an intriguing name to keep an eye on in dynasty formats, but Valimaki may still be a year or two away from widespread fantasy relevance. A positive year would see him produce at a 20-point pace or better.

Valimaki got his first taste of NHL action last season, notching a goal and two helpers in 24 regular-season contests before adding one assist in two playoff games. The 20-year-old may have spent even more time with the big club had he not dealt with an ankle injury which ended up costing him a significant portion of the campaign. In the minors, the Finn recorded four goals and 10 assists in 20 games, exhibiting why the Flames were willing to spend the 16th overall pick on him in 2017. Unfortunately, Valimaki suffered an ACL injury during offseason training and will miss nearly all of the 2019-20 campaign as a result. However, he's still viewed as a potential top-pairing defenseman, making him worth a stash in deeper dynasty leagues.