Penguins trade Olli Maatta to Blackhawks for Dominik Kahun

The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Dominik Kahun and a fifth-round pick. 

Both the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins entered this NHL offseason looking to make changes to their roster. The former has been kicking the tires of the trade market for defensemen. They’ve found their guy, according to Darren Dreger. The Penguins are going to send defenseman Olli Maatta to the Blackhawks for forward Dominik Kahun and a fifth-round pick.

According to the Hawks official Twitter account, the draft pick is in the 2019 draft. There doesn’t appear to be any salary retained in this deal.

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Maatta is no stranger to trade rumors, nor is it surprising Pittsburgh traded him. They had too many defensemen before including Marcus Pettersson, who is a restricted free agent. Maatta was the easiest one to trade. He has a $4.083 million annual cap hit over the next three seasons.

Last season, Maatta put up 14 points in 60 games while playing 18:35 per game. Additionally, he appeared in one playoff game. Maatta has been plagued by injuries during his career, as he’s only played in 82 games once (2017-18).

His possession numbers are nothing to write home about, but perhaps a change of scenery would do him well. Maatta should slot in on the Blackhawks second or third defensive pairing. He should help out their penalty kill if he can stay healthy.

Meanwhile, Kahun is 23 years old. He will be a restricted free agent after the 2019-20 season. Kahun has a $925,000 cap hit for the 2019-20 season. Last season, he put up 13 goals and 37 points in 82 games in his first full NHL season.

Kahun should be a nice fit in Pittsburgh’s lineup, as he could slot in on either their second or third forward line. He can provide production in a third-line role, which is something the Penguins have been hoping to add.

The biggest thing Pittsburgh gets from this trade, though, is cap space. It creates a shade over $3 million for them. According to CapFriendly, they should have about $6.2 million of cap space. The Pens have to re-sign several free agents, including Teddy Blueger, Zach Aston-Reese, and Pettersson. Moving Maatta’s contract should definitely help them do that. It also clears up a spot on their blueline.

For Chicago, this trade nets them a potential upgrade to their defensive core. The Blackhawks have been looking to add a top-four defenseman and Maatta has the potential to be that guy for them.