We have something almost unheard of in the NHL as a trade has been made less than a month into the season. In any sports league, it’s very rare to see a trade happen so early in the season. There are several reasons, from value to a small sample size, to teams not willing to punt on the season. Yet despite this, Utah Hockey Club has acquired Olli Maatta from the Red Wings for a 2025 third-round pick.
Now this is a blockbuster trade, no. This trade will likely be forgotten about a few weeks from now. But if you’re a fan of Utah that came from Arizona, this is a huge deal. This shows that where they play and the name isn’t the only thing different about the team. For the first time it seems this organization has competent people running it focused on putting the best product on the ice.
How The Trade Helps Utah
Utah had as good of a first impression of their new city as you can get. They won their inaugural game against the Blackhawks 5-2. Then went on a road trip and beat both New York clubs in overtime. However, since then, they’re an abysmal 1-6-1. With three of those losses being by three or more closes. Their only win was a come-from-behind victory against the Bruins in overtime.
The main problem with the roster has been the play of the defense. After losing both Sean Durzi and John Marino for the majority of the season the defense has been struggling to find consistency. Although Maatta doesn’t have a point this season he’s made a major impact on the ice. He was one of the Red Wings’ best shooters. Especially when it came to playing on 5v5. Plus, he adds veteran leadership to the blue line, something Utah could desperately use. With several young prospects in the system struggling to adjust to the NHL game. Maatta can make their adjustments easier, and advise these prospects thanks to his 12 seasons in the NHL. Thus helping Utah in both the short and long term.
Why This Is Different Than Arizona
One of the biggest focuses of the NHL has been expanding the game to non-traditional markets. That’s why there’s been so much relocation and expansion into the Southern US. Now some have worked like the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars. Others struggled like the Arizona Coyotes. Now many said the reason the Coyotes didn’t work is because they played in a desert and you can’t play hockey there. However, the Vegas Golden Knights have proven that point to be wrong. The real issue with the Coyotes was incompetent ownership. Owners who cared more about making money and less about the product on the ice. Thus the team suffered and was constantly at the bottom of the standings.
However, Ryan and Ashley Smith, the new owners of the Coyotes and the one that moved them to Utah, are trying to right the previous owners’ wrongs. Identifying and fixing a problem so early into the season shows they care about the on-ice product. The better the team is the more attention they’re going to get, thus more people will become fans. Now sure Utah isn’t a desert, however, it’s a market that’s never had an NHL team in it. They need to build it up, and if the Smiths continue what they’re doing, the fanbase will grow fast.
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