Olli Määttä

[JTG]

Can't wait until this kid has played more than 30 games and teams start throwing hits into him like they do Letang every single night.

Maatta's looked great, but the collective orgasm over this kid is ridiculous. Let us list rookie 1st round pick d-men that have looked this great 30 games in..

Tyler Myers
Cam Fowler
Victor Hedman
Adam Larsson
Erik Johnson
Dion Phaneuf
etc.

I hope he can pan out to replace Orpik / Scuds, but lets hold our horses before he even plays half a season, let alone two. It is easy to play in this league when you haven't been scouted by 29 teams. Eventually teams will start playing off Maatta's flaws and taking advantage of them. We have seen it happen already in this young season. Love the kid and want him to be the next success story in terms of d-man drafting by the Pens, but yeah. Look how long it took Fowler to get back to form after his rookie year. Let alone how most of the guys on the above list dropped in potential immensely.

Myers, Fowler, Phaneuf are really the only ones who looked that great when they first broke into the league. Fowler was great offensively though and sucked pretty bad defensively. Phaneuf was much of the same. He got his name from throwing big checks and putting up points. I thought Myers was probably the most well rounded of the bunch. Doughty also did fairly well breaking in.

It's not a common thing like you say though. What Maatta is doing well isn't some flash in the pan type skill. He's playing fantastic defensive hockey. Just highly intelligent plays. That's not going to go away like a guy's goal scoring touch or something like that.

 

[wej20]

Pretty much all those guys listed sans Hedman and Larsson were flashy guys. Maatta just goes about his business quietly and efficiently. He's going to have rough patches but I don't expect a sophmore slump. Has Larsson ever looked as good as Maatta has at the NHL level?

 

[WhatsaMaatta]

Can't wait until this kid has played more than 30 games and teams start throwing hits into him like they do Letang every single night.

Maatta's looked great, but the collective orgasm over this kid is ridiculous. Let us list rookie 1st round pick d-men that have looked this great 30 games in..

Tyler Myers
Cam Fowler
Victor Hedman
Adam Larsson
Erik Johnson
Dion Phaneuf
etc.

I hope he can pan out to replace Orpik / Scuds, but lets hold our horses before he even plays half a season, let alone two. It is easy to play in this league when you haven't been scouted by 29 teams. Eventually teams will start playing off Maatta's flaws and taking advantage of them. We have seen it happen already in this young season. Love the kid and want him to be the next success story in terms of d-man drafting by the Pens, but yeah. Look how long it took Fowler to get back to form after his rookie year. Let alone how most of the guys on the above list dropped in potential immensely.

After watching our Dmen force plays that aren't there and our star Dman (Letang) showcase some poor hockey IQ, Maatta's been a breathe of fresh air. Add to that Bylsma hasn't managed to stuff him down the depth chart a la Despres/Bortuzzo. Every player goes through some growing pains, so what's the issue with letting people enjoy him? I hope he finishes the season just as strong as he has started, but either way we have a pretty damn good player.

 

[Gurglesons]

After watching our Dmen force plays that aren't there and our star Dman (Letang) showcase some poor hockey IQ, Maatta's been a breathe of fresh air. Add to that Bylsma hasn't managed to stuff him down the depth chart a la Despres/Bortuzzo. Every player goes through some growing pains, so what's the issue with letting people enjoy him? I hope he finishes the season just as strong as he has started, but either way we have a pretty damn good player.

I agree whole heartedly. Every player has growing pains. I just tire of people accusing Letang of gaffe after gaffe when he is one of the NHLs best d-men. If Maatta can pan out to be as good of D as Letang we will be set. This forum tends to forget how loose our defense was before this year. Luckily in the 2011 run it wasnt the D that was being constantly ruined by injuries. Our d has been able to step up since the 2012 exit because our organization's focus has been on our defense. Watch Letang when he comes back and the physical play thats thrown at him. There is a reason he is constantly injuried.

Maatta has the luck of being a rookie. Lets see him come playoffs. Especially since half the forum is willing to throw him on a first or second pairing in a playoff situation less than halfway into the season.

 

[zidell*]

It's not a common thing like you say though. What Maatta is doing well isn't some flash in the pan type skill. He's playing fantastic defensive hockey. Just highly intelligent plays. That's not going to go away like a guy's goal scoring touch or something like that.

That's exactly what they said about Luke Schenn who belongs near the top of the list.

 

[WhatsaMaatta]

I agree whole heartedly. Every player has growing pains. I just tire of people accusing Letang of gaffe after gaffe when he is one of the NHLs best d-men. If Maatta can pan out to be as good of D as Letang we will be set. This forum tends to forget how loose our defense was before this year. Luckily in the 2011 run it wasnt the D that was being constantly ruined by injuries. Our d has been able to step up since the 2012 exit because our organization's focus has been on our defense. Watch Letang when he comes back and the physical play thats thrown at him. There is a reason he is constantly injuried.

Maatta has the luck of being a rookie. Lets see him come playoffs. Especially since half the forum is willing to throw him on a first or second pairing in a playoff situation less than halfway into the season.

All of the trade Letang stuff is a knee jerk reaction, and very unrealistic(we aren't Philly). But he does deserve the criticism he's been getting, given the amount of mental lapses we have seen from him. He just signed a 7 mil per year deal. He needs to play like it.

 

[#66]

Myers, Fowler, Phaneuf are really the only ones who looked that great when they first broke into the league. Fowler was great offensively though and sucked pretty bad defensively. Phaneuf was much of the same. He got his name from throwing big checks and putting up points. I thought Myers was probably the most well rounded of the bunch. Doughty also did fairly well breaking in.

It's not a common thing like you say though. What Maatta is doing well isn't some flash in the pan type skill. He's playing fantastic defensive hockey. Just highly intelligent plays. That's not going to go away like a guy's goal scoring touch or something like that.

Is he better now or then? He might have leveled his game out more now but I think he was better playing flawed hockey, getting points and hitting everything in sight. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad.

That's not Kris Letangs case though.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Is he better now or then? He might have leveled his game out more now but I think he was better playing flawed hockey, getting points and hitting everything in sight. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad.

That's not Kris Letangs case though.

For Letang, the good has outweighed the bad for the vast majority of his career, including last season. If Letang ever gets traded, its because a great hockey trade was available. Not because we need to get rid of him.

I love Maatta though. Until he and Despres stepped up trading Letang really wasn't even a worthwhile discussion.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

I'd take a Victor Hedman-like progression, thank you very much.

 

[wej20]

That's exactly what they said about Luke Schenn who belongs near the top of the list.

Schenn was handed minutes on a garbage team, Maatta has earned his on a good team with a ton of competition for his spot.

 

[JTG]

That's exactly what they said about Luke Schenn who belongs near the top of the list.

Luke Schenn has never had the positioning or hockey sense that Olli Maatta has. And to further exasperate Schenn's average defensive positioning and ability to know where to be, he also has no discipline and would chase guys all around the ice looking for hits.

One could argue Schenn was not ready for the situations he was thrown in.

Is he better now or then? He might have leveled his game out more now but I think he was better playing flawed hockey, getting points and hitting everything in sight. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad.

That's not Kris Letangs case though.

He was MUCH more fun to watch back then because he embodied everything that new NHL fans wanted to see, and he was one of the poster children of the new NHL. "Look at this big, farm strong Canadian boy who can throw thunderous body checks, shoot a puck 100 mph, rack up 60 points, and skate like the wind."

He has leveled out his play though, and that's mainly because I think he realized he would never stick with a team if he was a liability like he was in Calgary. Oddly enough, his transformation is probably something that Letang will have to go through. Sacrifice some offense to play a steady D game.

It's really a hard thing to consider because like you said, one has to think, is a neutered Letang better or worse for the team? That could be a thread in itself.

 

[member 51464]

I think that, if Letang were to rein in his offensive game to try to improve his D, he would not be worth the contract he was given. He has to be a gamebreaker offensively. His relatively low hockey IQ on his own side of the blueline will ever keep him from living up to his paycheck if he transitioned away from offense. I'd be glad to be wrong, though.

 

[JTG]

This past summer, I was firmly in the camp of not re-signing Letang, but rather finding a hockey trade that brought back something similar to what Jordan Staal did. People kept telling me (the same people tearing into Letang in the "Let's **** On Kris Letang" thread) that they would give him up to 8 million dollars.

My response was, he's probably the best 5-on-5 defenseman in hockey. He has insane skating and great passing skill. Fact of the matter was though when talking about what he should be making...he never got matched up against other teams top players, the powerplay always ran better without him, he wasn't anything more that alright in the defensive zone, and he was prone to risky plays offensively that ended up in the back of our net. Now of course, some of these short comings can still change. Some things won't though.

He doesn't have a high hockey IQ. He's a guy who has always, and will always, get by on physical gifts. He will always rack up points because of who he plays behind and his ability to support them, so that will always make him look good when award time comes around. I'm not sure if he'll ever be good enough defensively to be a shutdown defenseman. I know he'll never be a great PPQB...he just doesn't have the offensive savvy.

The absolute hilarity of watching Olli Maatta is that you want Maatta and Letang to make a love child, and that offspring would be the perfect defenseman.

I also found very odd those rumors creeping out that Letang wanted something in writing that the Penguins wouldn't trade him this season before his new deal kicked in. I mean, I get it, but why would an alleged franchise defenseman have that worry unless he was planning on ******** the bed? That never sat right with me, but I'm probably just reading way too far into it.

 

[Allie Kitsune]

This past summer, I was firmly in the camp of not re-signing Letang, but rather finding a hockey trade that brought back something similar to what Jordan Staal did. People kept telling me (the same people tearing into Letang in the "Let's **** On Kris Letang" thread) that they would give him up to 8 million dollars.

My response was, he's probably the best 5-on-5 defenseman in hockey. He has insane skating and great passing skill. Fact of the matter was though when talking about what he should be making...he never got matched up against other teams top players, the powerplay always ran better without him, he wasn't anything more that alright in the defensive zone, and he was prone to risky plays offensively that ended up in the back of our net. Now of course, some of these short comings can still change. Some things won't though.

He doesn't have a high hockey IQ. He's a guy who has always, and will always, get by on physical gifts. He will always rack up points because of who he plays behind and his ability to support them, so that will always make him look good when award time comes around. I'm not sure if he'll ever be good enough defensively to be a shutdown defenseman. I know he'll never be a great PPQB...he just doesn't have the offensive savvy.

The absolute hilarity of watching Olli Maatta is that you want Maatta and Letang to make a love child, and that offspring would be the perfect defenseman.

I also found very odd those rumors creeping out that Letang wanted something in writing that the Penguins wouldn't trade him this season before his new deal kicked in. I mean, I get it, but why would an alleged franchise defenseman have that worry unless he was planning on ******** the bed? That never sat right with me, but I'm probably just reading way too far into it.

I seem to remember something about the Pens being the team that Letang had always wanted to play for, even before he was drafted...

 

[KIRK]

This past summer, I was firmly in the camp of not re-signing Letang, but rather finding a hockey trade that brought back something similar to what Jordan Staal did. People kept telling me (the same people tearing into Letang in the "Let's **** On Kris Letang" thread) that they would give him up to 8 million dollars.

My response was, he's probably the best 5-on-5 defenseman in hockey. He has insane skating and great passing skill. Fact of the matter was though when talking about what he should be making...he never got matched up against other teams top players, the powerplay always ran better without him, he wasn't anything more that alright in the defensive zone, and he was prone to risky plays offensively that ended up in the back of our net. Now of course, some of these short comings can still change. Some things won't though.

He doesn't have a high hockey IQ. He's a guy who has always, and will always, get by on physical gifts. He will always rack up points because of who he plays behind and his ability to support them, so that will always make him look good when award time comes around. I'm not sure if he'll ever be good enough defensively to be a shutdown defenseman. I know he'll never be a great PPQB...he just doesn't have the offensive savvy.

The absolute hilarity of watching Olli Maatta is that you want Maatta and Letang to make a love child, and that offspring would be the perfect defenseman.

I also found very odd those rumors creeping out that Letang wanted something in writing that the Penguins wouldn't trade him this season before his new deal kicked in. I mean, I get it, but why would an alleged franchise defenseman have that worry unless he was planning on ******** the bed? That never sat right with me, but I'm probably just reading way too far into it.

Would Letang have been worth more on the trade market the day before or the day after he signed his extension?

Clearly, it's the latter. So, imagine you're Letang. Like Staal, you can 'limit' your trade value by effectively saying you're going to play out your contract.

But, say you sign the deal. On July 5th, imagine if Ray Shero called the other 29 GM's in the league and said 'who wants Letang at 3.5M for this year and then 7.25M per year long term'.

Letang would have no say over where he goes. Shero would've had everyone and their mother bidding on a deal that was PERFECT given this year's cap and the assumptions (since proven true) about where the cap was going.

So, if you're Letang, THAT is a legit fear that Shero could move you sometime between July 2013 and when the NTC kicks in on July 5, 2014.

Whether he promised or not, nobody seems to know. But, if YOU were Letang, given how the Pens have been drafting, how scared would you be about being traded somewhere like Edmonton on or before say July 4, 2014?

Letang's concern is perfectly rational and really has nothing to do per se with a fear of ******** the bed.

 

[JTG]

Would Letang have been worth more on the trade market the day before or the day after he signed his extension?

Clearly, it's the latter. So, imagine you're Letang. Like Staal, you can 'limit' your trade value by effectively saying you're going to play out your contract.

But, say you sign the deal. On July 5th, imagine if Ray Shero called the other 29 GM's in the league and said 'who wants Letang at 3.5M for this year and then 7.25M per year long term'.

Letang would have no say over where he goes. Shero would've had everyone and their mother bidding on a deal that was PERFECT given this year's cap and the assumptions (since proven true) about where the cap was going.

So, if you're Letang, THAT is a legit fear that Shero could move you sometime between July 2013 and when the NTC kicks in on July 5, 2014.

Whether he promised or not, nobody seems to know. But, if YOU were Letang, given how the Pens have been drafting, how scared would you be about being traded somewhere like Edmonton on or before say July 4, 2014?

Letang's concern is perfectly rational and really has nothing to do per se with a fear of ******** the bed.

Why does Kris Letang give 2 ***** about his trade value? If you don't want to take the risk of being traded, don't sign the deal.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Why does Kris Letang give 2 ***** about his trade value? If you don't want to take the risk of being traded, don't sign the deal.

because more trade value means he's more likely to be traded?

 

[JTG]

because more trade value means he's more likely to be traded?

My point is, if he didn't think the organization was going to sign him to keep him, that's a silly time to sign a deal then. Either you wait it out until mid this season, while taking the risk of maybe getting injured, or you get your money and long term piece of mind then, but also take the risk that you may be getting that piece of mind in another city.

I mean, good on him though. He certainly got his cake and is eating it too. But now people would like to explore the trade market for him

 

[JTG]

And if you're being paid like a franchise defenseman, I really don't think any of the prospects the Penguins have drafted is any concern to you.

 

[Ogrezilla]

My point is, if he didn't think the organization was going to sign him to keep him, that's a silly time to sign a deal then. Either you wait it out until mid this season, while taking the risk of maybe getting injured, or you get your money and long term piece of mind then, but also take the risk that you may be getting that piece of mind in another city.

I mean, good on him though. He certainly got his cake and is eating it too. But now people would like to explore the trade market for him

He had just seen Staal get traded because he was going into the season unsigned.

And if you're being paid like a franchise defenseman, I really don't think any of the prospects the Penguins have drafted is any concern to you.

That makes no sense. After his cap hit goes up is exactly when he should be concerned about the team looking to replace him with a cheaper option.

 

[Master Shake*]

Can't wait until this kid has played more than 30 games and teams start throwing hits into him like they do Letang every single night.

Maatta's looked great, but the collective orgasm over this kid is ridiculous. Let us list rookie 1st round pick d-men that have looked this great 30 games in..

Tyler Myers
Cam Fowler
Victor Hedman
Adam Larsson
Erik Johnson
Dion Phaneuf
etc.

I hope he can pan out to replace Orpik / Scuds, but lets hold our horses before he even plays half a season, let alone two. It is easy to play in this league when you haven't been scouted by 29 teams. Eventually teams will start playing off Maatta's flaws and taking advantage of them. We have seen it happen already in this young season. Love the kid and want him to be the next success story in terms of d-man drafting by the Pens, but yeah. Look how long it took Fowler to get back to form after his rookie year. Let alone how most of the guys on the above list dropped in potential immensely.

None of those guys looked anywhere near as good in the NHL at this age. Not even close.

Maatta looks like Nik Lidstrom. I dont care who doesnt agree. I can see this guy winning a Norris some day if his offensive game keeps developing and more importantly, stays healthy. Injuries can ruin a player quickly.

Btw, Maatta is 3 years younger than Lidstrom was as a rookie

 

[member 51464]

None of those guys looked anywhere near as good in the NHL at this age. Not even close.

Maatta looks like Nik Lidstrom. I dont care who doesnt agree. I can see this guy winning a Norris some day if his offensive game keeps developing and more importantly, stays healthy. Injuries can ruin a player quickly.

Btw, Maatta is 3 years younger than Lidstrom was as a rookie

That is actually crazy.

 

[Master Shake*]

That is actually crazy.

Especially when you consider the physical differences between a teenager and a man in his 20s. Most men have alot of physical growth left. I grew 3 inches and 40 pounds from 18 to 21

 

[member 51464]

No kidding. You figure sticking with the big team and all of the proper training and nutrition and such that comes with that will ensure Maatta will reach his full potentially physically, if nothing else.

 

[mrzeigler]

I'm impressed by the smarts that Maatta is showing. Hockey smarts generally don't regress when the opposition throws something new at it; it figures things out.

His coolness and tendency to make the right play reminds me of Larry Murphy. Obviously, I'm not predicting a HOF career, but I am saying he reminds me of a smart, skilled by not crazily flashy defenseman that any team would have loved to have in his prime.

None of those guys looked anywhere near as good in the NHL at this age. Not even close.

Maatta looks like Nik Lidstrom. I dont care who doesnt agree. I can see this guy winning a Norris some day if his offensive game keeps developing and more importantly, stays healthy. Injuries can ruin a player quickly.

Btw, Maatta is 3 years younger than Lidstrom was as a rookie

I was reluctant to mention Lidstrom when I originally wrote this, because I don't want to overhype him, but yeah ...