Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki (mouth) is ready for action again as the team prepares to take on Colorado on Thursday. The Finnish rearguard has missed the last six contests after taking a puck to the mouth in a game against Dallas on Nov. 14. Valimaki showed some good upside last season, but he's gone down in the pecking order in 2023-24 and boasts only four points with zero goals in 15 appearances. Three of the points have come with the man advantage, and Valimaki's return will likely push Janis Moser off the second power-play unit.
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki had surgery on his mouth area after being struck in the face by a shot during Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. The rear guard's timeline is undetermined at this point but he will likely miss some time moving forward. Defenseman Michael Kesselring is expected to take Valimaki's spot for Thursday's road contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets while fellow blueliner Vladislav Kolyachonok will be recalled from the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners. The 25-year-old Valimaki was once a top prospect with the Flames but moved to the Coyotes prior to last season before posting four goals and 34 points in 78 games. He has four assists and four penalty minutes through 15 games this season.
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki continued his good end-of-the-season run with two assists against New Jersey on Sunday. He set up two goals in the third period to help the team tie the game at four, but the Devils still found a way to win in overtime. Valimaki now has multiple assists from two of his last three games and boasts 12 points from 13 games since the start of last month. He has started to play a major role at the back ever since the team gutted its blue line and there should be plenty more to come from the 24-year-old. Valimaki's work across the whole season has brought 24 points, 61 shots, 35 hits, 64 blocks and a minus-nine rating in 59 games.
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki recorded two assists in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Dallas. He helped the team grab a two-goal lead as Barrett Hayton scored and Clayton Keller struck on the power play, but the Coyotes couldn't hang on. Valimaki started to gain traction in fantasy hockey after Jakob Chychrun was pulled from the lineup, and it's now clear that the 24-year-old Finn will have a massive role to play for Arizona for the rest of the way, with Chychrun officially gone and Shayne Gostisbehere also finding himself in a new team. Nearly half (10) of Valimaki's 22 points have come in 11 games since the start of last month. He averaged 22:34 of ice time across February and even got close to playing 24 minutes against the Stars.
Juuso Valimaki
• D
•
Coyotes
