The Carolina Hurricanes made an announcement on Tuesday that they have re-signed defenseman Juuso Välimäki to a one-year,  $900,000 contract on Tuesday for the 2026-27 season.

The 27-year-old now gets to stay in Raleigh. He joined the organization midway through the 2025-26 season and went on to give a strong performance in the AHL.

Välimäki first joined Carolina on January 5 when the Hurricanes got him from the Utah Hockey Club. He spent the rest of the season training and developing before earning this chance.

This contract now has a $900,000 cap hit, and Välimäki will be earning the same salary, whether he is playing in the NHL or AHL. He is now set to become an unrestricted free agent as his contract expires next season.

For Carolina, this is a low-cost addition. The Hurricanes, who won the Stanley Cup this season, are in the middle of reshaping their roster before heading into the 2026-27 season.

With Välimäki's experience, bringing him back gives the team a flexible option that can be used at either the NHL or AHL level.

Although his path to this point was not easy, Välimäki dealt with serious injury setbacks last year, including a torn ACL. It disrupted his performance for a whole season.

But this contract from Carolina is enough to provide Välimäki with a clear opportunity to compete in the NHL properly.

AHL Performance Earns Juuso Välimäki Another Chance

After the trade from Utah, Välimäki played with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, who are one of Carolina's affiliates.

He played 27 regular-season AHL games with the Wolves and Tucson Roadrunners, scoring 23 points on seven goals and 16 assists.

He carried the same pace into the postseason, which added 14 more points across 21 games.

Juuso also played with the Tucson Roadrunners earlier in the season before the trade. He had a full year of AHL activity after recovering from injury.

He is a defenseman with 271 NHL games who made 72 points, while helping a team reach the Calder Cup Final.

With a record like that, he is not someone difficult to retain, especially at $900,000.

At that price, Valimaki’s deal looks more like a bargain depth move than a marquee signing, giving Carolina flexibility under the cap while adding insurance to a defense corps reshaped after their Stanley Cup run.

As Carolina continues to work on its depth for a title win, Välimäki is now set to enter the training camp with a genuine chance of playing in the NHL. His path to this point was not easy, but the Hurricanes have given him the chance to establish himself in 2026-27.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Koushik Biswas