Trade season in the NHL is still a month or two away from truly kicking into gear. However, the Detroit Red Wings got an early start on trade activity while most of their fans were sleeping on Tuesday night. The Red Wings traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Utah Hockey Club ahead of Detroit's game against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.

Utah HC parted with a 2025 third-round pick originally owned by the New York Rangers in this deal. It's a move that makes sense for them, as well. John Marino is out long-term with an injury, and Sean Durzi is set to miss months in his own right. Adding a stabilizing presence is crucial for Utah as they handle the injuries on the blueline.

“I think with what we acquired in [Olli Maatta], he's a two-time Stanley Cup winner,” Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said Wednesday, via NHL.com. “He gives a lot of stability to the defense, and that's what we need. One of the big things that we're trying to do is cut our goals against, and he's going to help add in that stability on the back side.”

Olli Maatta bolsters depleted Utah Hockey Club blueline

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.
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Olli Maatta has carved out an impressive career to this point. As Armstrong mentioned, he is a two-time Stanley Cup champion. He won both Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. In recent seasons, he has played a third-pairing role with the Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings.

Overall, the new Utah HC defenseman is a steady defensive presence. In fact, Maatta finished the 2023-24 season as the best defensive presence on a not-so-great Detroit blueline. He had an On-Ice Save Percentage of .932 at 5v5 as well as 8.2 Defensive Goals Above Replacement, according to Evolving Hockey. His 8.2 DGAR was third-best in the entire league, as well.

“He has experience, great size, experience on the backend, stability. He's good defensively, great first pass, he's a veteran NHL player. I know a lot of guys in the Detroit staff, so I had a chance to talk with them. And I think transition will be pretty smooth,” Utah Hockey Club head coach Andre Tourigny said, via NHL.com.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Maatta fits in with his new team moving forward. In any event, it's a move Utah needed to make given the injuries on their blueline. Maatta could make his Utah debut on Wednesday night against the Calgary Flames.