Penguins lock up Olli Maatta with 6-year, $24.5 million deal
The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up a key young piece of their blue line on Friday with the announcement that Olli Maatta has signed a six-year, $24.5 million extension. The deal carries a $4.083 million cap hit.
Maatta, who set to become a restricted free agent this summer, has six goals and 16 points in 53 games this season for Pittsburgh, one year removed from missing time dealing with a tumor in his neck, shoulder surgery and the mumps.
The deal is a good one for GM Jim Rutherford and the Penguins as it buys two of Maatta’s UFA years and will end a few months before he turns 28 years old. According to Pierre LeBrun, the final two seasons of the deal feature a limited no-trade clause where Maatta can choose which eight teams he does not want to be dealt to.
Maatta joins Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, and Kris Letang as Penguins signed beyond 2020. The deal also means that Rutherford will had to shed some salary in the off-season given the cap space committed for the 2016-17 NHL season.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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