Jane Njoku

The Detroit Red Wings traded Olli Maatta to the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday in place of a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Maatta does not have a point in seven matches this year. But, in 2023-24, he had 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) and a plus-14 rating in 72 matches in 2023-24. 

“I think with what we acquired in [Maatta], he’s a two-time Stanley Cup winner,” Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said Wednesday. “He gives a lot of stability to the defence, and that’s what we need. One of the big things that we’re trying to do is cut our goals against, and he’s going to help add in that stability on the back side.”

Olli is in the last season of a two-year, $6 million contract ($3 million average annual value) he signed with Detroit on February 16, 2023. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins chose Maatta in the first round (No. 22) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He recorded 177 points (40 goals, 137 assists) in 681 regular-season matches with the Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Red Wings. Maata also has 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 85 Stanley Cup Playoff matches. 

“For us to add another Stanley Cup winner to that [locker room], that’s huge for us,” Armstrong said. “One of the things you see with the club, I mean, I talk about this a lot, but I’ll say it again. I think we’re the second youngest team in the League. So, you know, you see games that we had the other night. We’ve got to calm that down and make sure that we have a good veteran presence that’s going to allow us to walk out with the win.”

The Hockey Club have lost six of their last seven matches after a 3-0-0 start. It has permitted up to four goals in six of its 10 matches this campaign. 

“[He’s] probably one of the hardest working, best players in the game,” Armstrong said. “I’ve known him back from the days when I watched him play for the London Knights (of the Ontario Hockey League). His work ethic is incredible, it’s contagious inside the locker room. He’s a great person. He comes every day as a pro’s pro and tries to get better and tries to make the club better.”

Maatta could play for the first time, during Utah Hockey Club vs Calgary Flames on Wednesday, 30th October 2024. 

“We’re hungry. We’ve built a lot of assets for these moments where we can help the club out and improve the club and we’re going to look to always improve this club,” Armstrong said. “We talk about the process to go through. There’s some young players going on the ice. We can’t make those players any older. They’ve got to go through the process. But if we can look to add around them and make them better by adding players that have some age and some ability to enhance them, we’re always going to do that. And we’ve got the assets to do that. So every morning we get up, we’re looking to improve the club.”