Flames Defenseman Juuso Valimaki Tears His ACL During Offseason Training
By Charles Nason
Some unfortunate news out of Calgary on Monday as GM Brad Treliving announced that defenseman Juuso Valimaki has torn his ACL. The Flames were in the midst of offseason practices when Valimaki sustained the injury, from which he'll be out indefinitely.
Valimaki appeared in 24 games with the Flames last year, splitting time in the NHL and AHL.
#Flames defenceman Juuso Valimaki has sustained an ACL injury during his off-season training. https://t.co/6uUPzZGSLK
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) August 12, 2019
At just 20 years old, Valimaki was preparing for what could've been a breakout season with Calgary. The Flames were also expecting big things from the former first-round pick, possibly in the second or third defensive pairings.
With Valimaki likely to miss the entirety of the 2019-20 NHL season, the Flames will have to find a new young defenseman to play in their top-six.
Juuso Valimaki, before tearing ACL, would have been full-timer for #Flames this season. Oliver Kylington likely slides into sixth spot now. https://t.co/Ph6t0ePclA
— Wes Gilbertson (@WesGilbertson) August 12, 2019
The news is brutal for both the Flames and, especially Valimaki. The one silver lining for the young d-man is that he still has plenty plenty of years left in his career to overcome the injury.
Between having to crack the lineup anyway and now rehabbing from the injury, Valimaki will have to wait even longer to play his first full NHL season.