Red Wings trade defenseman Olli Määttä to Utah Hockey Club for third round: Why Detroit dared to make the move

The Detroit Red Wings traded defenseman Olli Määttä to the Utah Hockey Club for a 2025 third-round pick, the team announced Tuesday evening.

Määttä, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012, was in his third season with the Red Wings and in the final year of a two-year extension he signed just before the 2023 trade deadline.

Detroit's acquired draft pick originally belonged to the New York Rangers and is considered a late third-rounder.

The move comes as Detroit had eight NHL defensemen sitting two most nights early in the season. Määttä suited up in seven of the Red Wings' first nine games and averaged just under 16 minutes per night on the team's third defensive pairing.

Welcome to Utah! 👏

We acquired defenseman Olli Määttä from the Detroit Red Wings via the New York Rangers in exchange for a third-round draft pick. pic.twitter.com/kCQye8dRNB

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) October 30, 2024

Why did Detroit trade Määttä so early in the season?

Right-hander Justin Holl — who was a reliever for most of last season — got off to a good start and provided more consistent playing time among Detroit's eight defensemen. Young left-back Albert Johansson is no longer exempt, but has only appeared in three games so far and plays a similar style of play to Määttä.

By reducing the number to seven defenders, both can play more often. The move also frees up some cap space (Määttä had a cap of $3 million), which can be used to either add a player later this season or help pay for the bonuses in Patrick Kane's contract instead to see an overage turn into a cap penalty next season.

How his departure affects the Red Wings

For most of the past two seasons, Määttä has been one of Detroit's most consistent defenders, playing a simple game that meshed particularly well with offensive-minded defenders like Shayne Gostisbehere and Filip Hronek. Määttä started this season alongside a similar player to Gostisbehere, newcomer Erik Gustafsson, and while the pair didn't have much success together right away, the loss of Määttä's steady presence will hurt the Detroit blue line this season.

The Red Wings will likely continue to rotate their seven remaining “Ds,” with Gustafsson able to play alongside the burly Holl and Johansson entering the mix early in his NHL career. If Johansson is there, the hope is that he can play a similar game to Määttä. He skates quite well and, like Määttä, is successful thanks to his good feel for hockey. But Detroit will sacrifice some size – Johansson is 6'1″ compared to Maatta's 6'1″.

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(Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)