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As signings continue to flow in from the Flames, the latest is Juuso Valimaki. He was drafted 16th overall at this past entry draft and figures to be a huge part of this Flames defensive core in the future.
Valimaki will likely be headed back to Tri-City of the WHL this season before there could be some decisions the following year.
With late birthday/signing date, Valimaki gets free ELC year in 18-19 if he doesn't exceed 9 NHL games in either of next 2 seasons. #Flames
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) July 21, 2017
What this slide essentially means is that if Valimaki were to play in the AHL in 2018-19, the Flames won’t lose a year off his ELC. This means that if this situation occurs, Valimaki would be signed on his ELC through the 2021-2022 season.
Good on the Flames for getting his signing out of the way, and I can’t wait to see what his future holds.