When Olli Määttä was traded to the Utah Hockey Club by the Detroit Red Wings back in October, he was at one of the lowest points in his career. He wasn’t fitting in well with the Red Wings who were struggling out of the gate. He found himself often in the role as the seventh defenseman, which was a fall from a couple of years ago where he won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was expected to become a piece of their future on the blue line.
The trade to Utah was a needed one for the team as Sean Durzi had just gone down with a major injury, and John Marino was injured in the offseason. Their blue line was depleted, and they needed someone to help shore up the defense. On an expiring contract, Määttä was expected to be a rental for Utah. However, he turned the opportunity into a three-year extension with the newest team in the NHL.
How Määttä Turned an Opportunity Into an Extension
For a while, Määttä was bouncing around the NHL. After being traded from the Penguins to the Chicago Blackhawks, he only spent one season with the team before being traded once again to the LA Kings. After two disappointing seasons with the Kings, he signed with the Red Wings, where he remained until the trade to Utah.
Määttä knew what his role was going to be when he entered Utah. Try to help the defense stay afloat until Durzi and Marino came back. However, no one knew just how effective he would be in that role. In his first game with Utah, he would play just a bit over 20 minutes in a 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames. In the next game, he played two extra minutes, playing more than every other skater except Mikhail Sergachev.
He eventually scored his first goal with Utah in January in a game against the Winnipeg Jets and now is currently up to two in the whole season. However, Määttä isn’t the defenseman that will get you goals. Instead, he has built himself into one of the best defensive defensemen in the league. Arguably, his reliable defensive play has helped Utah stay afloat in the wild card race. His offensive production hasn’t been bad for his type of play either, as he has 14 points so far this season, which ties his totals from the past two seasons.
Going back to Määttä’s main asset, which is his defensive abilities, he’s capable of logging a huge amount of ice time. It’s something that is overlooked, but some players can’t handle having an extreme amount of playing time. His average ice time right now is 20:41, which is the second most in his career and the third most on Utah behind Sergachev and Marino. His ability to play both defensive sides and to consistently get the puck through different zones is something that has been highlighted during his high playing time and is a huge reason why he was selected to play for Team Finland during the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament.
In just a matter of months, Määttä has made an immediate impact on the entire Utah blue line. He fits the mold of the culture Utah is trying to build. If you didn’t know he was traded this season, you might’ve guessed he’s played for the team for years.
“Olli has made an immediate and noticeable impact and a positive impression on everyone in our group,” president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said. “He is an important influence on the culture we continue to foster and the standards we have for our team. We are grateful for the commitment he is making to our organization.”
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With both Durzi and Marino returning and the trade deadline looming, in another universe, Määttä might’ve been reduced to bottom pairing minutes and potentially shipped off due to only having one season left on his current deal. However, his impressive play has continued despite now sharing ice time with two more defensemen. He’s stayed productive in the top four, now on a pairing with Durzi, which is a smart pairing since the aforementioned defenseman is more of an offensive defenseman.
On top of everything, Määttä has come a long way from being one of the younger faces on the Stanley Cup-winning 2016 and 2017 Penguins. He’s played in a lot of different systems with a lot of different players, from Kris Letang to Drew Doughty. He’s learned a lot and has passed his knowledge down to the young Utah locker room. The once young champion has grown into a veteran and a leader, one everyone appreciates and respects.
“His play is great, but him as a person, as a pro, his preparation, his attention to detail is what he brings to our team,” head coach André Tourigny said. “He has two Stanley Cups and champion’s pedigree. We’re really happy to have him.”
His hard work ethic has helped him become a top-four defenseman once again, and he now has been called a role model for the younger players around the room. General manager Bill Armstrong even called him an important piece of Utah’s core for the foreseeable future.
“We’re thrilled to have Olli signed for the next three years,” said Armstrong. “Olli is a smart defenseman and a true professional on and off the ice. He has brought stability to our blue line, has a tremendous work ethic, and is an excellent role model for our younger players. We look forward to having him as an important part of our core moving forward.”
For Määttä, he’s enjoyed his time so far in Salt Lake City. Not only has he gotten to reunite with familiar faces like Robert Bortuzzo, who was his first defensive partner in the NHL, and Ian Cole, who he won two championships with, but he’s enjoyed the actual city as well.
“I love it,” Määttä said. “I know it’s a little chilly, but the sun’s out almost every day. That’s probably all we need. I like driving around, checking out places. It’s such a beautiful city, beautiful state. I definitely can’t wait to spend some more time here.”
Now, Määttä will get to enjoy the state of Utah for three more seasons. He’s hoping that he can help the young team not just get to the playoffs but also compete for potentially his third Stanley Cup championship.
What Does This Mean for Utah?
Määttä’s extension is the first pending free agent that Utah has locked up for the 2025-26 season. It’s notable because the team does have a decent list of players whose contracts end after this season, including Karel Vejmelka, Nick Bjugstad, Alex Kerfoot, and Ian Cole. With the trade deadline only a couple of days away, Utah will need to make decisions on either keeping their eventual UFAs and potentially re-signing them or trading them for assets. It sounds like the team is closing in on an extension with Vejmelka, but nothing has officially been confirmed.
Utah signed Määttä to a three-year extension with a $3.5 million average annual value (AAV). It is a $500,000 raise from his previous contract with the Red Wings. Perhaps more interesting is that it does come with a modified no-trade clause. In the first year of the deal, Määttä will have a 10-team no-trade list, meaning he will submit a list to the team consisting of 10 he doesn’t want to be traded to. Utah must obey and respect the list, however, if they do decide to trade him, they can trade him to the other 21 teams in the league. That list shrinks to five teams in the second year of the deal.
Now, all four of Utah’s top defensemen are locked up to long-term deals. Sergachev is signed until 2031, Durzi until 2028, Marino until 2027, and now Määttä until 2028. Even Michael Kesselring, who would be a top-four defenseman on a bunch of other teams, is property of Utah until the end of next season. It gets even better for Utah fans when you look at the pipeline. Maveric Lamoureux proved he is a future top defenseman for the team during his 15-game stint in the NHL this season, and Dmitry Simashev is reportedly set to come over to North America after the conclusion of his season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
The future is bright for Utah and its blue line, but even the present could have a bright ending ahead. The team is currently two points back of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. With 21 games remaining, every game matters for Utah. Määttä knows Utah needs to get every single point possible, including in tight games, which the team has struggled to win at points in the season.
“We got to find a way to win those one-goal games,” Määttä said. “They seem like tight games. When we figure that out, we’re going to be a very good team. We’re a tough team to play against when we’re playing our hockey. It’s hard for them when we’re on our game. We’re going to keep doing that.”
It seems like the team’s future is brighter with Määttä extended for the next three seasons. His play this season has turned him from an extra defenseman to a consistently reliable top-four defensive defenseman that has helped a young Utah team come within a couple of points of a playoff spot. He has been one of the MVPs in their inaugural year, and if Määttä can continue his reliable play, he could be part of a competitive Utah team that could be a threat in the Western Conference.