Montreal Canadiens: Don’t buy into the Olli Maatta trade rumours
Apparently, the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins are in trade talks surrounding Olli Maatta but the question is whether fans can believe it.
It wouldn’t be the trade deadline without someone linking the Montreal Canadiens to another team thanks to a trustworthy source. The Habs have been very tight-lipped recently about their dealings, so it’s difficult to believe when something like this comes out before the team says anything about it.
Who saw the Max Domi for Alex Galchenyuk trade coming? Galchenyuk was neck deep in trade rumours up to the day he was eventually moved while Domi could’ve been a name dealt, but there was nothing released of pure fact. The same goes for Max Pacioretty. Sure we knew the former captain had a foot out of the door already, but the destination and details of the deal weren’t known until it was made official.
So with that being said, let’s approach this rumour carefully and with a clear head.
DanLesCoulisses on Twitter got the Montreal Canadiens fanbase talking Monday with a tweet stating the Habs and Pittsburgh Penguins are seriously discussing Olli Maatta. Now if you’re a daily view of these kinds of things, you’ll know that this isn’t the first time Maata has been linked to Montreal.
To Dan’s credit, he didn’t say a trade was coming just that there is discussion occurring. But even so, a possible move of this magnitude may not work on both ends.
Montreal’s Case
The ongoing goal has been to find a top-pair left-shot defence partner for Shea Weber. Victor Mete has slipped into that role as of late, but Weber has also spent time playing with Jordie Benn, Brett Kulak, and David Schlemko when he was still with the team.
Whether Mete is good enough to fill the spot is up for management to decide. It’s not as if Weber needs to be propped up, but the two could be what Charlie McAvoy and Zdeno Chara are for the Boston Bruins. That takes patience though as Mete needs time to continue to grow as an all-around defenceman.
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The ‘waiting’ aspect of this matches what both Marc Bergevin and Geoff Molson emphasized at the end of last season. To succeed in the NHL, a team has to draft and develop well and once those young players are ready, the next step is to place them in positions to succeed. Mete’s development has clearly been a focus for the Habs this season.
It appeared to be the same old ‘yo-yo’ technique within the team’s defence, but sending him down to play in Laval was a good way to build confidence in his abilities. Now the Montreal Canadiens have given Mete the opportunity to play with Weber and it’s looking to be a nice experiment that can go the distance.
On the other hand, if the Pittsburgh Penguins are willing to move Maatta ahead of the deadline, it wouldn’t do any good for the Habs not to take the time to pick up the phone and see what the cost is.
Top-Pair Potential?
Maatta is 24 and in the sixth season of his NHL career after being taken 22nd overall by the Penguins back in 2012. That’s also come with two Stanley Cup Championships in 2016 and 2017.
The Finnish defencemen is the perfect mix of size (6’2″ and 206 pounds) and mobility. He handles the puck with a calmness and urgency that makes him a reliable player in all three zones. Maatta’s point totals may not wow anyone but his biggest strength is his mind and ability to read plays.
There are three main knocks to his game:
- His lack of physicality
- His lack of shots
- His health record
Maatta does have a strong frame and uses it effectively when he needs to, but he isn’t an aggressive player. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem given the other good things he brings to the table and if he were to join the Montreal Canadiens and play with Weber, that aspect of his playing time will handle itself.
His shots/game is down from last season where he was able to match the point total from his rookie year (9 goals and 20 assists in 2010 vs. 7 goals and 22 assists in 2018). Last year had Maatta at two shots per game which has fallen to 1.17 so far this season. That is likely an aspect of his point production and perhaps something that changes if used in a different role.
The injuries speak for themselves. Since debuting in the NHL, Maatta has only played a full season once (that being last year). He was held to 20 games in 2014 after surgery to remove a neck tumour as well as an aggravation of a shoulder injury he had a procedure on the previous summer. An upper-body injury had Maatta sit out for four weeks while surgery for a broken hand took six weeks to recover from.
Despite that, he’s persevered and is still one of the league’s better defenceman and a player who could improve Montreal’s blueline.
Pittsburgh’s Case
We all know general manager Jim Rutherford never shies from the opportunity to better his team for a run at the Stanley Cup. Reports have circulated that Rutherford is working the phones to acquire a third-line centre for the playoffs as the Derrick Brassard era hasn’t been the best in Pittsburgh.
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If that’s the case, then whey would Olli Maata be made available? The only way that makes sense is if there is a centre in Montreal who Pittsburgh has identified as a target for their playoff mould. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Max Domi would be automatic phone call flush in my opinion. The former is the new guy in the system and will be a number one centre in Montreal one day while the latter is one of Bergevin’s better trade results and is the team’s number one now.
Maybe it’s Phillip Danault which may or may not keep Bergevin on the line. Although it’s not as if a one-for-one is going to get the trade done. Pittsburgh will also be looking for young and cheap players to add as well as that’s been their model for the last five years. Think of players such as Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust and Connor Sheary. All names who started out as cheap entry-level deals and wound up finding success playing with Sidney Crosby.
That could be the starting point of a Maatta trade and if Montreal wants to pay the price they can but it would go against what they’ve preached if they give up a good prospect to do it. The only bonus is Maatta’s contract which has him make $4,083,333 for another two seasons after this one.
There are a lot of ‘what-ifs’ here that make having any faith in this rumour difficult. The Montreal Canadiens are in a playoff spot and could reach out to add, but it’s looking more and more likely they stand pat with what they have. At the same time, Montreal and Pittsburgh could be in a battle for a playoff spot down the line if things start to get more congested.
Buffalo may turn things on again and place some pressure on the Canadiens and Penguins. Why would Rutherford trade one of his better players to a conference competitor, even if it gets him what he wants? There are many sellers this season and acquiring an effective piece from them makes the most sense.
But that’s why it’s a rumour right? Last time I checked, Charlie Coyle is still very much a Minnesota Wild player.
As I said before, the Montreal Canadiens have done a good job in keeping their dealings tight-lipped until it doesn’t need to be anymore. Things can change and we may find ourselves on February 25th with Maatta on a one-way ticket to Montreal. For the time being, I think it’s a better idea to stay level-headed and head into the deadline with the expectation that nothing occurs.
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There is a better chance Bergevin sells at the deadline then taking from his roster and prospect pool to address their defence. Especially if they’re committed to watching Mete and seeing how he develops in the role. Or I could be wrong, and if that’s the case, cool, Olli Maatta!