Hockey Patrol has no direct affiliation to the Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL or NHLPA
A Utah defenseman is on waivers and the Maple Leafs should be all over it
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Sunday saw five waiver assignments which included Utah defender Juuso Valimaki, and the Toronto Maple Leafs need to try and grab him while he's still available.
With the NHL roster freeze lifted, that means teams are able to make moves again which also includes putting players on waivers. It's something that's a pretty standard affair, and an often under-utilized tool for GMs to add pieces on the cheap.
The Maple Leafs have done well for themselves off the waiver wire this year, claiming Troy Stecher earlier this season. He has come in and absolutely lit a fire under the team, showing immense heart and passion which has endeared him to both his teammates and the fans.
But the Maple Leafs could add another impact player on the cheap much like Stecher, by taking a look at Juuso Valimaki.
Valimaki could be the perfect insurance piece for the Maple Leafs
Placed on waivers by Utah, Valimaki is the type of player who can really shift an offense even if he doesn't necessarily blow you away every night.
He's steady on his feet, a great passer, uses his length at both ends of the ice and isn't afraid to put his body on the line. He's also only 27, so he would give Toronto a few years of production and add a bit more speed and youth to their aging backend.
This season, Valimaki has not played since recovering from an ACL tear he suffered last season. For his career, he has 72 points in 271 games (11 goals, 61 assists) to go along with 349 blocks, 202 hits, and a minus-seven rating.
The Mammoth waived Valimaki with the hopes that he could get some playing time in the AHL before coming back up to the team, but if the Maple Leafs are able to scoop him up then they could just as easily loan him to the Marlies and give them a big boost as well temporarily.
Right now, the Maple Leafs don't really have a lot of money to work with, and with their injured players being healthy and coming off the IR, that means they have to start paying their cap hit again.
Adding a player like Valimaki is a safe solution and he's good enough to be able to replace other depth players like Philippe Myers, Simon Benoit, and Dakota Mermis while also giving the team much more offense on the blueline.
So we'll have to see where Valimaki ends up, be it in the Mammoth still or another NHL team. But if teams like Toronto wanted to give themselves a leg up this season, they should take a look at seeing how Valimaki can redeem himself after an extended time away.