The Pittsburgh Penguins have locked down defenseman Olli Maatta for the long haul, signing him to a six-year contract extension on Friday. The deal, which starts next season, has an average annual value of $4.083 million.
The 21-year-old Maatta has six goals and 10 assists in 53 games this season for the Penguins. He leads Pittsburgh's defenseman and is second on the team in plus/minus differential at plus-18.
The Penguins selected Maatta in the first round of the 2012 Entry Draft. He played well during his rookie season in 2013-14 but was slowed by shoulder injuries and a cancer scare last season. Maatta has spent most of this season alongside Kris Letang as Pittsburgh's top defensive pairing. Maatta is averaging just under 20 minutes of ice-time per game, third on the team behind Letang and Sidney Crosby.
