Penguins deal Maatta
Penguins get Kahun, fifth-round draft pick
Acquire forward Dominik Kahun and a draft pick from Chicago.
Olli Maatta, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins, was traded Saturday to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Dominik Kahun.
The Penguins also acquired a 2019 fifth-round pick in the deal.
Maatta, a first-round pick in 2012, was the odd man out on the Penguins blue line for the final three games of their first-round sweep against the New York Islanders. Again he is the odd man out as the Penguins try to retool their roster and create salary cap space before the start of NHL free agency July 1.
After a shoulder injury in February, Maatta returned late in the regular season and was in the lineup for Game 1 against the Islanders, with Jack Johnson surprisingly sitting out. Maatta had a rough outing in that loss and was a healthy scratch in favor of Johnson. It would be Maatta’s last game with the Penguins.
Maatta later admitted that he was disappointed with how his season ended and, asked about the possibility of getting traded, said, “You try not to think about that. All you can do is go and have a good summer. Whatever happens, happens.”
Maatta, who made his NHL debut in 2013-14, played 362 regularseason games with the Penguins, scoring 25 goals with 82 assists and a plus-61 rating. In 69 playoff games, the Finnish defenseman had 21 points and a plus-21 rating.
Maatta, still only 24, will get a chance to bounce back with Chicago.
Kahun recorded 13 goals and 24 assists as a rookie last season for the Blackhawks, appearing in 82 games. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound forward and native of the Czech Republic finished the year plus -10, best among all Blackhawks forwards.
“Dominik had a great rookie season with the Blackhawks,” Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement. “He is a speedy, versatile player capable of playing all three forward positions. He also saw time on Chicago’s power play and penalty-killing units. We are very excited for him to join our team.”
Maatta has three years left on his contract with an annual cap hit of $4,083,333. Kahun, 23, will make $925,000 in 2019-20 and be a restricted free agent after the season.
The trade of Maatta could mean that Johnson, who would have been traded to the Minnesota Wild recently had Phil Kessel not nixed that trade, will remain with the Penguins. The veteran had a minus-7 rating last season, including playoffs.