The Detroit Red Wings have traded Stanley Cup Champion Olli Maatta to the Utah Hockey Club in a trade that happened very late last night. The Utah Hockey Club strengthened their backline by <a href='https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/10/utah-acquires-olli-maatta-from-red-wings.html' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>adding Stanley Cup-winning defenseman</a> Olli Maatta from the Detroit Red Wings, as the club is still in its first year of the NHL. After losing several key players early in the season to injury, the Utah team seized the opportunity to fill a great need on the team's defense. Maatta brings championship experience and stability to a team hungry to make its mark in the league. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/DetroitRedWings/status/1851459011758993577'> </a></blockquote></div> <a href='https://www.si.com/onsi/breakaway/news-feed-page/detroit-red-wings-trade-champion-defenseman-olli-maatta-utah-hockey-club' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>The Utah team received Maatta in return for a 2025 third-round draft pick</a> that initially came from the New York Rangers. It is a pick tracing back to a three-team trade that includes the Arizona Coyotes part of the deal, which sent Patrick Kane from the Blackhawks to the Rangers. With this pick, Utah was able to secure Maatta's veteran presence without giving away too much from their future assets, a sign of commitment to competitive play early in the debut season. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/LO_RedWings/status/1851471219456897501'> </a></blockquote></div> Before arriving to Utah, Maatta spent two seasons with the Red Wings during which he normally had a reliable presence in Detroit's defensive lineup. In 157 games for the Red Wings, he has collected 41 points from 10 goals and 31 assists. His other NHL teams include the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks, and he brings a lot of experience across different franchises in the league. This will be vital to Utah's defense development. Maatta's NHL career began with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who selected him 22nd overall in 2012. With the Penguins, he played 362 games and scored 107 points. Perhaps the most accomplished moments of his career came when he was a mainstay on the Penguins' defense as they captured consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017. His playoff contributions, 69 games with 21 points, show his ability to be a player in big moments, which surely must factor into Utah's interest as they try for a hot start to the season. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/RyanHanaWWP/status/1851462724091298066'> </a></blockquote></div> And with injuries having already shelved defensemen John Marino and Sean Durzi for extended stretches, Olli Maatta couldn't have come at a much more opportune time. A left-shot defenseman, he's expected to slide onto Utah's second pairing and contribute right away, having averaged just under 16 minutes of ice time this season with Detroit. In all, the addition of Maatta demonstrates Utah's commitment to cementing their roster in order to be competitive through their first season by filling in their defensive gaps with a proven champion.