Former First Round Pick Hits Waivers: Kyle Dubas Could Bolster the Pens Blue Line

The Utah Hockey Club have been a decent team in their first season, but it remains unclear whether or not they will make the playoffs.

They are currently 6 points back of the Vancouver Canucks for the final wild card spot in the Western conference, which is a tough gap to close with just 25 games remaining on their schedule.

It is certainly well within the realm of possibility though, which is why the team will be one to watch at the trade deadline.

For now though, the team has made a move that could benefit Kyle Dubas and his Penguins.

Former 1st round pick Juuso Valimaki was placed on waivers by the team for the purpose of demoting him to the AHL.

Valimaki, selected 16th overall in the 2017 draft by the Calgary Flames, has played in 271 career NHL games and has 11 goals and 72 points to show for it, including 5 points in 43 games this season.

5 points in 43 games might not sound like much, but surely Valimaki would be an upgrade over Ryan Graves, who is currently the Penguin's bottom pair left-shot defenseman.

Graves has yet to record a point through 41 games this season and makes a staggering 4.5 million dollars against the cap each year with three seasons after this one still on his deal.

Valimaki is younger than Graves, more productive than him, and comes at a 2 million dollar price tag, with one year remaining on his contract.

This seems like a slam dunk move for Dubas, but unfortunately he does still need to move Graves in order to make room for it, and that could prove to be difficult.

That is not only due to the fact that Graves has been terrible this season, but he also has a 12-team no-trade list.

It is certainly looking like one of Dubas's worst signings of his career. Will Valimaki come in to save the day? Stay tuned to find out.