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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Hockey Club traded for defenseman Olli Määttä in October to help with injury-ridden blueline. It was a move widely seen as a way to get through the season after John Marino and Sean Durzi both underwent surgery.
Määttä, though, has played himself into the future of the club.
The Utah Hockey Club signed Määttä to a three-year extension with an average annual value of $3.5 million.
"We're thrilled to have Olli signed for the next three years," general manager Bill Armstrong said. "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."
Määttä, 30, has provided a solid veteran presence for a young team. He is third among Utah skaters in ice time (20:41 per game) and blocked shots (101), and he is tied for the team lead in plus/minus (+7). He has scored two goals and recorded 12 assists in 51 games for Utah this season.
Armstrong said Utah did its work early this trade deadline, trading for Määttä early in the season (not to mention offseason deals for Marino and Mikhail Sergachev). The extension shows that Määttä wasn't just a stop gap player but someone Utah wants around for the long haul.
So what else is in store for Utah ahead of Friday's deadline?
The team has played itself out of "seller" territory, and sits just two points out of the playoff line. But that doesn't mean nothing will happen.
Lawson Crouse, Nick Bjugstad and Matias Maccelli have been mentioned as trade candidates; all three players have seen their production drop in the first season in Utah. There is a belief around that Utah will eventually try to make a big swing — with forward Mikko Rantanen often being mentioned as a potential target — but such an attempt might not come until free agency.
But Utah might not be done signing extensions.
Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff reported that Utah has made progress in extension talks with goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Vejmelka is having a career-year, with a 91.0% save percentage. He has ninth in the NHL with 14.3 goals saved above expected.
