Utah defenseman Juuso Valimaki has undergone surgery to repair a torn ACL and is expected to be out for eight to nine months. His season is officially over, and the injury will also sideline him for the rest of the season of the 2025-26 campaign.<\/p>
The 26-year-old’s year had already been disappointing before the injury. He was waived by Utah in February and sent to AHL Tucson, marking his first minor league stint since 2021-22. Unfortunately, his return to the AHL was short-lived—he suffered the ACL tear in his very first game with Tucson on February 28.<\/p>
Valimaki had once been a promising piece of the Coyotes’ blue line before the franchise’s relocation to Salt Lake City. He put up a strong 34-point season in 2022-23, leading Arizona’s defensemen with 30 assists. However, his role diminished significantly this year, managing just five points (2G, 3A) in 43 NHL games. Utah’s offseason acquisitions of John Marino, Ian Cole, and Mikhail Sergachev pushed him further down the depth chart, and the team’s early-season addition of Olli Maatta only made things tougher.<\/p>