Red Wings Land defenseman Olli Maatta for $2.25 million

The Detroit Red Wings improved their defensive depth by signing nine-year veteran Olli Maatta to a one-year deal for $2.25 million.

Finnish native Maatta is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound left-shot defenseman. He played last season for the Los Angeles Kings. Currently, Jordan Oesterle and Maatta are the only left-shot defenseman on the Detroit roster. Of course, the projection is that Swedish rookie Simon Edvinsson will also be on the roster.

The Red Wings might also re-sign left-shot Marc Staal, or sign another veteran defenseman. Detroit’s right side includes Moritz Seider, Filip Hronek, Gustav Lindstrom, Jake Walman and Steve Kampfer.

Maatta played 17-19 minutes for the Kings in the playoffs. He is a primarily a defensive player, although he had 29 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017-18.

He helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He went to the Chicago Blackhawks before ending up in Los Angeles. He was +17 for the Kings last season.