Vancouver Canucks Now Have A Big Decision to Make As Former First-Round Pick is Made Available

Late last week, the Calgary Flames placed veteran defenseman Tyson Barrie on waivers and now, one of their former first-round picks has also landed on the wire for the purpose of AHL assignment.

After not playing for Utah Hockey Club since late January and being a healthy scratch for all three of Finland's games at the 4 Nations Face-Off, former first-round pick Juuso Valimaki has been placed on waivers.

If Valimaki clears waivers on Monday morning (11 am pacific time), then Utah Hockey Club will assign him to the American Hockey League's Tucson Roadrunners, who sit seventh in the Pacific Division entering action on Sunday with a 22-23-4 record through 49 games.

Valimaki, a native of Tampere, Finland, was selected 16th overall by the Calgary Flames and a little over five years later, he was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes.

The 26-year-old blueliner and the rest of Arizona's players moved to Salt Lake City as part of a non-traditional relocation with a new franchise being established in Utah and the possibility that the Coyotes could be reactivated as an expansion team down the road.

In 43 games this season with Utah Hockey Club, Valimaki has tallied five points (two goals, three assists), 14 penalty minutes and is a minus-five.

While the Vancouver Canucks have already made a big splash on the trade market by acquiring top-four defenseman Marcus Pettersson from Pittsburgh, it never hurts to have enough depth and Valimaki would be an intriguing third pairing option for Patrik Allvin to consider.

Vancouver sits 19th in the waiver order as of Sunday morning, so it may be tough for them to have a chance at landing Juuso Valimaki, who has one year remaining on his contract following the 2024-25 season with a cap hit of $2 million.