The Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Olli Maatta to a 1 year, $2.25 million deal.
Red Wings finalizing 1 year, $2.25 mil deal with Olli Maatta.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 13, 2022
Maatta is a 27-year-old defense-first defenseman that stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 210 pounds. In 66 games during the 2021-22 season, he scored 1 goal and 7 assists for a total of 8 points, and over his career, he’s scored 30 goals and 106 assists for 136 points.
The most important part of this deal is that, in adding Maatta, Steve Yzerman has added a left-handed defenseman to play with Moritz Seider on the first pair. He won’t be able to help out on the offensive side of the game much, but he has the ability to shut down opposing offenses at an above-average rate, and he can play a physical game as well. One thing is for sure, that pair is, at the very least, physically imposing.
At the end of the day, this is an experiment. This deal is for one season only, and if it doesn’t work, the Red Wings and their fans don’t have to be worried about the contract bogging the team down. And if it does work, then that only benefits the team. A low-risk deal like this is perfect for a team like the Red Wings.