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Red Wings Trade Champion Defenseman to Utah

The Utah Hockey Club has acquired a Stanley Cup champion defenseman from the Detroit Red Wings to help fill holes on defense.

Nick Horwat

Oct 27, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta (2) handles the puck during the third period of the game against the Edmonton Oilers at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
Oct 27, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta (2) handles the puck during the third period of the game against the Edmonton Oilers at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images / Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
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It’s early in the Utah Hockey Club’s first inaugural season in the NHL, but they are in need of some help on defense after a couple of big-time injuries. To help fill the void, Utah has acquired Stanley Cup champion defenseman Olli Maatta from the Detroit Red Wings.

Utah acquired Maatta from the Red Wings in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft pick. The pick initially belonged to the New York Rangers.

Maatta played two seasons with the Red Wings leading into 2024-25 and has been a usual suspect in their lineup. In 157 total games with Detroit, Maatta put up 10 goals and 31 assists for 41 points.

Before making his way to Detroit, Maatta spent a couple of seasons with the Los Angeles Kings and one year with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Maatta spent the first six years of his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins after they selected him 22nd overall in the 2012 draft. He played 362 games with the Penguins and picked up 107 points (25G-82A).

More notably, Maatta was a fixture on the Penguins blue line for their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017. He appeared in 69 playoff games with the Penguins posting 21 total points (2G-19A).

Utah became well in need of defensive help when they announced that John Marino and Sean Durzi would both be out of the lineup for multiple months recovering from surgeries. They acquired the third-round pick from the Rangers when they were still the Arizona Coyotes.

The Coyotes nabbed the third-round pick as the third team involved in the move that sent Patrick Kane from the Blackhawks to the Rangers.

As a left shot defenseman, Maatta will slot right into the Utah lineup and likely play on the second pairing. Before the trade, he was averaging just under 16 minutes of ice time in seven games with the Red Wings.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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