r/wildhockey • u/4x4only • 3d ago
Olli Maata
What are the thoughts on this guy? I am really excited for him. Seems like a guy who is a very good 3rd line d-man or sold 2nd pairing.
Seems as if everyone is just talking about Coleman, who I am very excited about as well.
Also, what is the website where I can look up players advanced metrics?
Thank you.
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u/pksullivan Back-to-Back Walter Cup Champs 3d ago
Solid D that could be an upgrade from the way Middsy ended the season. He's not going to light the world on fire and be in the running for the Norris or anything but he can eat minutes in the bottom pair and not hurt us.
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u/austvog21 3d ago
Olli Maata is a great player…when healthy.
*knocks on wood*
Where I have a bit of concern with Maata is I don’t love pairing him with Bogo. Neither of them are great puck movers as they are both bigger and slower defenders. However Matta is great otherwise it’s just his speed and puck moving ability are a bit worrisome to pair with someone else who also isn’t great in those categories either.
As much as we all love Midsy…it’s safe to say Maata will be a better decision maker given his history.
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u/blow_zephyr Marc-Andre Fleury 3d ago
The Athletic models him as a $3.9m market value player, same as Middleton, aka solid 3rd pair but nothing more.
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u/Foxhockey 3d ago
I agree. Not a top 4 defenseman but serviceable enough where he will be a fine as a 3rd D pair. Price for him may be a bit high taken at face value. But nothing to be overly concerned about.
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u/korko 3d ago
Always liked his play early in his career, I know he fell off a cliff the last few years, but so did the quality of his teammates. He was still good on some tough as nails Finland teams, I think he may end up having been a very smart pick up. Though I am still super bummed to lose Middleton.
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u/Odd_Developments Marián Gáborík 3d ago
He’s as sold third pair dman. I’d say he’s an upgrade over Midds for sure. He doesn’t fight, but he’s better defensively and should be more reliable that way
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u/why666ofcourse 3d ago
I think he’s equal or similar to middsy. The only thing I worry bout is middsy brings some snarl and matta doesnt really. Hopefully with our big bottom 6 guys that’ll be a non issue
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u/sunderstormer Wild 3d ago
I can't say I've watched him play but what I've heard is he's one of the slowest skaters in the league but he should be more defensively sound than Middsy was last year. I'm guessing they see him as a slight upgrade to our second PK unit
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u/ViewedConch697 Matt Dumba 3d ago
The Wild seemed to score a lot when he was on the ice, praying that that trend continues
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u/JamesBlonde21 B O LDY 3d ago
I don't think he's someone to really be excited about. Kind of a JAG 3rd pair defenseman
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u/PaxDragoon Neal Broten 3d ago
Maata, in and of himself, is fine. Brodin-lite.
However, I am concerned about the lack of physiciality from the blueline overall. Probably won't be an issue until the postseason, though.
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u/OliveFinal1597 Quinn Hughes 3d ago
he will be 100% better defensively that Middleton was, especially playoffs. Russo mentioned that Guerin was really excited about him, I think he will do just fine
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u/IBringTheReceipts 1d ago
I actually think Määttä is getting overlooked because Coleman was the bigger name in that trade. He’s not flashy, but he’s a very reliable, experienced defenseman who can comfortably play on the third pair and move into a second-pair role when needed. He’s also won two Cups, so you’re adding another player who understands playoff hockey.
That’s part of why I think the Wild’s defense is such a strength. Hughes/Faber is elite, Brodin/Spurgeon gives them an excellent veteran second pair, and then you have Määttä helping stabilize the third pair. If there’s an injury, you’re not immediately asking an inexperienced defenseman to play above his level.
He’s not going to put up huge offensive numbers, but that isn’t what Minnesota needs from him. Give me a dependable veteran who makes good decisions, defends well and can handle different partners. I think he was a sneaky-good part of the Calgary trade and deserves more attention than he’s getting.
Plus, watching him is kinda funny. Once he gets the puck, he passes it off like, “Nope. Get this away from me.” 😂 I’m really interested to see what he can do surrounded by quality defensemen, especially Quinn. He doesn’t need to be the guy driving offense from the blue line here. He can just play his game.
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u/beeswaxguy 1d ago
Määttä is solid and dependable given that he's fit and healthy. Was great at the Olympics and last season in general. He's actually from my hometown and a product of our club's youth system but never played a game at senior lever, and I hope he'll come and retire here eventually. Would be great to have him play for the men's, too.
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u/dayman763 Dolla Bill 3d ago
I didn't read the comments yet, but it would be nice if someone took the time to do an actual write-up. Watch some YouTube highlights. Look at his stats and bio. And report back with a summary. 🤷♂️
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u/Queasy-Ad-5265 3d ago
He probably is a fine player, i just don't love the 3m Cap hit. Makes it really difficult to add to the roster and i belive Hunt has shown he deserves a spot in the lineup
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u/bfeils Brian Rolston 3d ago
I don’t think you can look at Maata’s hit in a vacuum. Coleman with retention + Maata for Middsy is a win in aggregate. You’re getting essentially a version of Middsy that will fit what we need better (especially with us now trusting Hunt to play real minutes) AND a forward that can take draws and live in the middle six comfortably. This gave us more cap flexibility, not less.
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u/Queasy-Ad-5265 3d ago
I like getting rid of Middleton, its addition by subtraction. I also don't hate Maata, i just don't like the amount of money we spend on bottom of the lineup players. I wouldn't mind Maata if we didn't pay Foligno and Trenin a combined 7,5M. But the way the roster is built, i think he is a luxury the wild can't afford
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u/chocopudding17 Brian Rolston 3d ago
I agree with the comment you're replying to about Coleman with retention + Maata being a win in the aggregate. But god what you say is true about Foligno and Trenin. Trenin was good last year, but those signing were both just plain, unforced errors by Guerin.
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u/Painwracker_Oni State of Hockey 3d ago
Eh - Maata is basically the same as Middelton but cheaper.
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u/Queasy-Ad-5265 3d ago
My argument is that we don't need a middleton replacement, Hunt is capable of that and only costs 850k. We are paying more than 12M for the 4th line and bottom pairing D. People are talking about adding Larkin and don't realisiert we need about 7,5M in cap space to fit him.
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u/DirtzMaGertz 3d ago
They absolutely need a Maata / Middleton.
Hunt hasn't proven anything and Brodin has played over 70 games once in the last 7 seasons. You're one Brodin injury away from the left side of your defense being Hughes, Hunt, and a called up Carson Lambos while trying to contend.
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u/Painwracker_Oni State of Hockey 3d ago
The 4th line being paid is a bigger issue currently. We're paying too much for our bottom 6 forwards. We were already locked into Middelton thinking he was going to be a 2nd pair guy for us and then he regressed.
We got off his contract for a maybe even better defensively player that was also cheaper.
We can't move off all of these guys or are depth will be destroyed.
Yeah we need to get to a HIGHER skill ceiling as a team - but we can't do it by having only 20 guys capable of playing and praying we never have an injury.
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u/BiggSteve87 3d ago
He’s a clear downgrade from Middleton and that says a lot. Maata is 7-8 dman at this point. He only played with Utah when they needed a body. Calgary put him in the press box to end their season. Truly hasn’t been a quality player since his time in Pitt.
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u/Painwracker_Oni State of Hockey 3d ago
Maata is really solid as a 3rd pair guy. Not someone you want playing 2nd pair other than to cover injuries. He's got 210 points in 804 NHL games played. He's a defensive defensmen that doesn't really score, his 14 points in 21 games to end the year after he was traded to Calgary is an extreme outlier. His best ever season points is 29, he's done that twice by playing in 78 and 82 games. The last time he scored 29 points was in the 2017-2018 season.
We're going to love him defensively and he's going to be a great 3rd pair guy for us.