Confirmed Trade: [UTA/DET] Olli Maatta for 2025 NYR 3rd round pick

[nbwingsfan]

Trade makes no sense. Could have had Liljegren, a RH dman who is younger and better.

We as fans have no idea what happens behind the scenes.

Maybe Toronto doesn’t actually want to trade him?

Maybe they tried to play hardball with Utah and wanted more than a 3rd?

Maybe Utah values Mattaa more?

It’s not a video game where you can just get anyone you want/think has the same value

 

[TheDoldrums]

Great move by Detroit, Maatta is not good.

Puzzled by Utah spending draft capital on an old $3M bottom pair LHD right now

 

[Zirakzigil]

Poor kid never was the same after his health problems. He was solid for the Pens before them.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Maatta is the kind of guy you see a “confirmed with link” post on HFBoards every year or two and think “I didn’t even know this guy was still in the NHL”

 

[Holden Caufield]

Maatta has been solid and can kill penalties. Knows his role and doesn’t try to be something he is not.

Utah will be happy with him.

Detroit was stuck after making a string of needless vet acquisitions on the blue line (Holl, Petry and Gustafson ). Maatta was the only one that was actually moveable…

 

[Raistlin]

He worked well with Hronek, now both gone.

 

[TheBeard]

Detroit making room to offer a first for Walman

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

I’m fine with it. Mattaa mostly sucks

Problem is so do most of our D.

As long as this doesn’t mean Gustafson gets more nice time

Maybe it's the system if most of the dmen suck? You guys said Hronek sucked while a wing but here in Vancouver he's been a legitimate #2 and by all accounts he's taken another step in his own end this season.

 

[Hobnobs]

I liked Määttä. Sad to see him go even he had a bad game vs Oilers which apparently defines his whole season. But I understand. Only bottom defenseman of value to clear up the log jam now with Johanssons emergance.

 

[Hobnobs]

Maybe it's the system if most of the dmen suck? You guys said Hronek sucked while a wing but here in Vancouver he's been a legitimate #2 and by all accounts he's taken another step in his own end this season.

The defensive structure in Detroit is definitely under scrutiny. However Hronek just didn't play that well and with his poor turnovers. I'm glad he found his place in canucks but I think that is more about a change of scenery than Red Wings system tbh.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

A 3rd for Maatta bodes well for sellers this deadline

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

Maybe it's the system if most of the dmen suck? You guys said Hronek sucked while a wing but here in Vancouver he's been a legitimate #2 and by all accounts he's taken another step in his own end this season.

The system definitely sucks but I’m good without Hronek no matter what. Just not the type of player I want in a defenseman. In Detroit he was very weak and had barely any physicality, most of his stats were empty stats and he had tons of turnovers with bad skating. I wanted nothing to do with paying him. We got the pick that got us ASP out of the trade who we don’t know for sure what he will be, but he is playing like a top 5 prospect in the world. So I’m extremely satisfied. There’s no world where I’d ever not make that trade. As a fan I don’t regret it whatsoever.

 

[rt]

Trade makes no sense. Could have had Liljegren, a RH dman who is younger and better.

I’ll give you Valimaki with max retention for Liljegren.

A 3rd for Maatta bodes well for sellers this deadline

Utah was over a barrel. Durzi and Marino both out for months and they were floundering.

 

[Petes2424]

It’s been talked about since the draft, and would’ve happened if Marino didn’t happen.

I’m surprised they still get the 3rd Round pick, not because he’s not worth it, he definitely is… I’m just surprised with Detroit being in the bind they were, with needing to get rid of a couple of D, that they didn’t settle for a 4th or 5th.

Solid trade for Utah. He’s definitely settled into being a very good, dependable player. He’ll fit in nicely. Pair him with a kid or a vet, won’t matter. He can play both sides but he prefers the left. His PK time has taken a big hit with Edvinsson playing so many important minutes already, but he will also kill penalties.

 

[Hobnobs]

I’ll give you Valimaki with max retention for Liljegren.


Utah was over a barrel. Durzi and Marino both out for months and they were floundering.

People on here acting like a 3rd round is some massive value. It's not even a good 3rd round. It's rags so a late one. It's nothing.

 

[Maurice of Orange]

It was only a Maatta of time Detroit was going to trade Olli.

 

[rt]

People on here acting like a 3rd round is some massive value. It's not even a good 3rd round. It's rags so a late one. It's nothing.

It was also a freebie pick just for retaining a bit on Kane with Alex Meruelo’s money.

 

[Paulinbc]

Damn... Nucks could use a D man, and I believe are looking, but not Matta, and not at that price.

Let Allvin cook.

 

[weklof]

Maatta has been solid and can kill penalties. Knows his role and doesn’t try to be something he is not.

Utah will be happy with him.

Detroit was stuck after making a string of needless vet acquisitions on the blue line (Holl, Petry and Gustafson ). Maatta was the only one that was actually moveable…

Spot on. He was the D I liked the best in the logjam of bottom-pairing defesemen (Määttä, Petry, Holl, Gustafsson). But no team was going to take on any of the others. Frees up space for Albert Johansson to get more minutes.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

A 3rd for Maatta bodes well for sellers this deadline

It probably has more to do with how few sellers there are this early. They had to find a team with an extra D and overpay them go risk hurting their depth this early on.

Usually, bottom of the barrel NHL defensemen go for 5th-7th round picks.

This seems like an overpayment based on Utah having a tremendous need for someone to come in and play for them.

 

[TheLegend]

Great move by Detroit, Maatta is not good.

Puzzled by Utah spending draft capital on an old $3M bottom pair LHD right now

- Durzi out until around April.
- Marino out until maybe March.
- Sergachev is running 28-29 minutes TOI per game.
- Utah had several D in the pipeline who aren't ready yet (even though Lamerioux is holding his own so far).
- Current D is leaky because none of them are stay at home types (the Kings forwards literally mugged them in front of their net the other night).


Maatta amounts to an early insurance rental to keep things together until Durzi and/or Marino get back.

 

[David71]

He worked well with Hronek, now both gone.

what if van aquired him..

 

[biturbo19]

Kinda weird trade, but okay. Yetis obviously needed some help with their injury situation and wanting to actually accomplish something in their new home, and i guess technically Maatta is "help". Maybe.

He's not very good though. Even if he's grown into his limitations and become a lot steadier in more recent years.

 

[biturbo19]

Does he play the right side? Otherwise I don’t see the point. We already scratched Valimaki last game.

Different times when it's in season vs free agency.

Utah is desperate for D help. Durzi and Marino are both out long-term.

I'm actually mildly surprised the two teams didn't find a way to turn this into a Justin Holl deal. Not like a "value deal" but a "cheaper rate cap dump" basically. It's not like the pick moving here for Maatta is anything...but given Utah's situation, i'd have thought they could afford to take Holl for an even lesser pick attached the other way as a pure dump. And get a sort of stay-at-home RHD.

That extra year is obviously a killer though.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Määttä was a healthy scratch at times and has 0 points in 7 games. Moving him clears up room to potentially keep Kasper up full-time and give Johansson a more regular role. This is an absolute win for Detroit.