It’s easy to get excited about Calgary Flames defenseman Juuso Valimaki. During this truncated 2020-21 season he’s shown flashes of brilliance, but he’s also made some cringe-worthy gaffes. With the Flames out of the playoff mix, many have wondered why Valimaki’s not playing more.
During Thursday’s pre-game media availability, head coach Darryl Sutter provided some detailed thoughts about Valimaki’s situation.
What does Valimaki need to do to get into the lineup and stay there?
He’s 23 years old. We have a really young defense. You take Gio and Chris [Tanev] and Stoney out for that, you’re playing three really young guys.