Confirmed with Link: Maatta traded to Utah for a 3rd Round Pick

[HisNoodliness]

My biggest complaint is that I think Maatta is better than Chiarot, Petry, Holl and Gustafsson so it kind of worries me that we've once again identified the wrong guy as the odd man out. Walman, Ghost and Maatta have been Yzerman's only pro defenseman additions that have played like functional hockey players and all three are gone. Meanwhile, we actively hoard the worst defensemen in the league. I'm happy to have the roster spot and the third round pick though.

So ultimately, it's a good trade. Slightly troubling because of the context, but still good.

Seeing a lot of discussion of the Walman trade in here. And I just want to say: let's accept the narrative that Walman didn't fight hard enough to come back from injury and was a voice of poor influence in the locker room. A trade like this is exactly why I think moving him in an act of desperation was the wrong call anyway. We could have foregone signing Gustafsson (or adding Trouba), let Walman play to start the year, waited for someone to need his services and gotten a sizeable return. Even if I were to accept that he was a coke fiend who made a pass at Larkin's partner and was handing out copies of Mein Kampf in the locker room, we didn't need to be rid of him as fast as possible.

There's no reason that he needed to go so badly in the summer that we had to pay to get rid of our fifth best player. Our fifteenth best player was worth a third because we were patient. We should be able to handle having one guy Stevie doesn't want at his birthday party in the locker room for ten games if it means getting a good asset back instead of paying one. The way he's playing, I wouldn't be the least but surprised to see San Jose get a first round pick+ for him.

Considering just the Maatta trade in a vacuum, I'm happy with it.

 

[brett89]

why i barely had anything bad to say about him. he was pretty solid

too many d? or are we making a move?

 

[Oddbob]

So lets make our blueline worse? Who the heck is going to babysit Gus and Holl now, rookie Aljo? I don't like this move if there isn't something better coming to Detroit.

 

[Henkka]

So lets make our blueline worse? Who the heck is going to babysit Gus and Holl now, rookie Aljo? I don't like this move if there isn't something better coming to Detroit.

Of course you people hate when veterans will play and now hate, when kid is gonna take the torch.

 

[Oddbob]

Of course you people hate when veterans will play and now hate, when kid is gonna take the torch.

I didn't hate Maatta at all. I was probably one of his biggest supporters on here. AlJo is not ready to babysit the train wreck that is Holl and Gus who are now even more guaranteed to have at least one of them in the lineup every night which makes us a worse team. I get that they can't move Holl or Petry, but they should have been moved someone else first, or better yet, just keep sitting Gus and Holl. Gus could have been waived to GR as well.

Aljo has only been just barely ok so far in his 3 games and was not outplaying Maatta. He also has played 11, 11, 15 or so in minutes so I am not even sure where the supposed trust from the coach has come as Lalonde still sat him for 6 games and played him the least of all of the 8 D.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I didn't hate Maatta at all. I was probably one of his biggest supporters on here. AlJo is not ready to babysit the train wreck that is Holl and Gus who are now even more guaranteed to have at least one of them in the lineup every night which makes us a worse team. I get that they can't move Holl or Petry, but they should have been moved someone else first, or better yet, just keep sitting Gus and Holl. Gus could have been waived to GR as well.

Aljo has only been just barely ok so far in his 3 games and was not outplaying Maatta. He also has played 11, 11, 15 or so in minutes so I am not even sure where the supposed trust from the coach has come as Lalonde still sat him for 6 games and played him the least of all of the 8 D.

This is the GM saying you're going to play him in my opinion... Every once in a while you see this kind of trade in sports which is basically I don't agree with how you use this guy let me take that option from you.

I wish Maatta luck, he was the one I figured we would move on from in the summer, glad Yzerman made the move early, especially when LaLonde wasn't playing and developing Aljo enough. For a board dreading being outshot nightly, Maatta's ability to retrieve and move pucks is one of his bigger weaknesses, it also happens to be one of Aljo's strengths. So hopefully this helps us spend a little less time in our zone.

 

[Oddbob]

This is the GM saying you're going to play him in my opinion... Every once in a while you see this kind of trade in sports which is basically I don't agree with how you use this guy let me take that option from you.

I agree with this, exactly. I still don't like that the wrong guy is getting moved out.

 

[Pavels Dog]

My biggest complaint is that I think Maatta is better than Chiarot, Petry, Holl and Gustafsson so it kind of worries me that we've once again identified the wrong guy as the odd man out.

I'd probably push back on him being better than Chiarot, but regardless Määttä had a moveable contract and unfortunately isn't a RHD. What keeps Petry and Holl in the rotation is that they shoot right, not much else.

 

[Henkka]

Määttä has been pretty much an illusion. All the time easiest assignments, so he is looking fine, both on analytics and with an eye-test.

What comes for Chiarot - of course he looks bad on the hard shut-down duty which has been huge load. But he carried Seider for that role. And now his job is getting easier thanks to Edvinsson's growth.

Määttä did never see these HARD minutes in first place. And it's a false belief, that he would have succeeded better, when the starting point was all the time that he can't hande it.

Määttä wasn't a part of the PK also, and not part of the PP. Just guy doing solid work on 3rd pair duty, without a special team strentgh. I also think he was a good pro on the lockerroom, to build a bit of that good culture. He did leave his small mark on the team, for the young guys.

But Yzerman has added now more of leadership and the plan is now to open those spots for younger players. Just unbelieveable, how people now whine about this.

All the damn summer it was the choir in here how kids should get a chance. And now Yzerman is completing it. Kasper is there, Määttä goes away to give more role for Johansson, Walman was sent away for Edvinsson's spot. Sprong was gone for Berggren etc. And now it's a bad thing??? WTF is happening?

 

[newfy]

Good deal, but wish it was chariot instead. At least this frees up a spot. But as always we get rid of one contract just to be saddled by a new one (Gustafson for 2 years). Very happy to be getting a 3rd.

The wings defence gets significantly worse if/ Maatta is playing Chiarots minutes. Chiarot has been very solid in Detroit outside of one year when his Dad was dying at home

Yep, good sign in terms of the Wings trusting Johansson. He made Maatta expendable.

Good trade, best of luck to Maatta, he was a solid soldier for Detroit.

Johansson I noticed had quite a few shifts last game against McDavid or Draisatl and actually held his own. I wonder if that was the "okay lets see what this kid can do" moment. There's interviews from the Griffins last year saying Aljo was their best damn ahead of Edvinsson. Seeing what Edvinsson can do with big minutes makes you wonder what they have in Aljo for sure

So far it seems I’ve yet to hear of legit good reasons for Walman being run out. He had a tough year but so did pretty much our whole defense and I think he is a lot better than the guys we have in our bottom 4 now because they are atrocious. If it was because he liked to party and celly too much then get over it. Sometimes it does feel like the brass of this organization are living in the wrong century. Our biggest issue on defense is we can’t skate in our bottom 4 and yzerman just keeps signing people like that. It’s 2024!

Yeah Larkins comments at training camp make me think it was directed directly at Walman. The captain basically says there's players who dont care but that got taken care of in the off-season. I'm sure that wasn't a shot at Perron when he said that

 

[Henkka]

Yeah Larkins comments at training camp make me think it was directed directly at Walman. The captain basically says there's players who dont care but that got taken care of in the off-season. I'm sure that wasn't a shot at Perron when he said that

Sprong could be one too. And definitely not Perron.

 

[schuelma24]

I like it. Clearly unblock Aljo which is what we should want for the long term.

 

[The Flying Octopus]

never going to complain getting rid of a veteran roster plug in favor of hopefully youth movement. Plug and play vets year x year wasnt what I expected 6 years ago. AJ sniffing around LCA the other night. Maybe he got into Yzermans ear a bit. I dunno. Happy tho. Ben Chariot come on down, you are the next contestant to see the F outta town.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

The wings defence gets significantly worse if/ Maatta is playing Chiarots minutes. Chiarot has been very solid in Detroit outside of one year when his Dad was dying at home



Johansson I noticed had quite a few shifts last game against McDavid or Draisatl and actually held his own. I wonder if that was the "okay lets see what this kid can do" moment. There's interviews from the Griffins last year saying Aljo was their best damn ahead of Edvinsson. Seeing what Edvinsson can do with big minutes makes you wonder what they have in Aljo for sure


Yeah Larkins comments at training camp make me think it was directed directly at Walman. The captain basically says there's players who dont care but that got taken care of in the off-season. I'm sure that wasn't a shot at Perron when he said that

He specifically named Perron and Ghost as guys they would miss during those comments. Noticeably absent was Walman and Sprong especially after the harsher start to the comments you talked about.

 

[JediOrderPizza]

I mean maybe I'm a biased OT Benny fan or something. But I don't mind him?

 

[HoweFan]

Nice trade by Steve. Hopefully this means he realizes it’s time to make room for the kids

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Nice trade by Steve. Hopefully this means he realizes it’s time to make room for the kids

I would love to trade Chiarot and Copp

 

[dalem177]

Next year is Chiarots last (for now) also. Not to nitpick. There is an end in sight to the place holders. Forwards are a year or so behind in a similar sense, but a little more room for flexibility since you have more roster spots to play with if guys develop.

As long as we replace Benny with someone else who likes to throw guys out of the crease.

 

[dalem177]

So far it seems I’ve yet to hear of legit good reasons for Walman being run out. He had a tough year but so did pretty much our whole defense and I think he is a lot better than the guys we have in our bottom 4 now because they are atrocious. If it was because he liked to party and celly too much then get over it. Sometimes it does feel like the brass of this organization are living in the wrong century. Our biggest issue on defense is we can’t skate in our bottom 4 and yzerman just keeps signing people like that. It’s 2024!

We're all adults here. If it wasn't obviously on-ice it was either an action or attitude SY didn't like and wanted to make a point out of to the room. It's that simple, to me.