The Detroit Red Wings, off a 5-4 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers last night, announced this morning they have signed Defenseman Olli Maatta to a two-year contract extension for six million dollars.
Why It Matters for the Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings signed Maatta in the offseason to boost their blue line and give some experience to the young guys. This season he has done that making the defense has looked better than last year.
- Maatta in his career has appeared in 583 games over ten seasons playing for four different teams.
- This season Maatta has been paired up with Filip Hronek for most of the season in the second defensive pairing group.
According to Max Blutman of The Athletic,
Keeping Määttä makes a ton of sense to me, even knowing the depth of LHD in the Red Wings system. He’s been arguably their steadiest defender, and that becomes even more valuable as you’re breaking in young guys. Term is short. Dollars are manageable. And Määttä wanted to be here
Max Bultman via Twitter
Olli Maatta by the numbers
- Maatta has scored 35 goals in his career
- Maatta has tallied 118 assists in his career
- Maatta is a +61 in his career
- Maatta has scored five goals this season
- Maatta has tallied 12 assists this season
- Maatta is a +5 this season
The Big Picture
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta has signed a two-year, $6 million contract extension, a valuable move for the team to maintain their defensive line. Maatta has played over 583 games in his career and has been one of the steadiest defenders for the team, providing valuable experience to the young players. Despite the Red Wings’ depth of LHD, the short-term contract with manageable dollars made sense for both parties.
What they’re saying
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