The Utah Hockey Club signed one of its most reliable defenders to a three-year extension. The franchise is doing this as it gears up for a late-season surge to make the postseason. Utah is at 63 points, just two away from the last wild card spot in the Western Conference. Qualifying for the playoffs in its first year of existence is clearly the organization’s goal as it revealed a few days ago that it has no plans to sell ahead of the trade deadline.
Now, veteran defenseman Olli Maatta has been locked up for the long term. The Utah Hockey Club formally announced the extension over Twitter, while TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun revealed the new deal will be for three years and $10.5 million.
Olli Maatta brings a wealth of experience as the Utah Hockey Club navigates uncharted waters
The 30-year-old has been a stabilizing force in his 51 games of action. Maatta has been with five teams in his twelve-year career, including a six-year stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Jyvaskyla, Finland native played a key role in two Stanley Cup victories that Pittsburgh won during his time there.
Maatta is additionally a team-first guy who is perfectly willing to sacrifice his body and block spots. He has stabilized a Utah backline that is among the best in the NHL. It makes perfect sense why Utah would want to sign Maatta for the next three years, especially as he is squarely in his prime.
While several teams are in contention for a wild card spot, the Utah Hockey Club has a tremendous opportunity ahead of them. This group has one of the easiest schedules in the NHL, ranking 27th overall in difficulty overall.
It’s time for Utah to seize this moment in the last 21 games of its schedule. As we’ve seen with the Vegas Golden Knights, making it to the playoffs in a franchise’s first year of existence can give a team the momentum to win a Stanley Cup title in the near future. But that emerging culture and progress needs to be shown now.
And it will be interesting to see if the Utah Hockey Club has any more moves up its sleeve as the trade deadline looms. The last day is officially March 7, and teams are scrambling to build up their rosters in the chase for the cup. Utah is a long way from being a realistic title contender. But qualifying for the playoffs would be a giant step in the right direction and make this organization instantly a desirable destination for prospective free agents and disgruntled players requesting trades for the foreseeable future.
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