The Utah Hockey Club made a move recently to acquire Olli Maatta from the Detroit Red Wings amid the Club’s devastating injuries.
However, Maatta wasn’t the Hockey Club’s first choice. The Hockey Club was keen on acquiring Ivan Provorov from the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to insider Pierre LeBrun.
During an appearance on TSN’s Early Trading, LeBrun explained the process behind the Maatta acquisition. While the Hockey Club was adamant about adding a blue liner to replace Sean Durzi and John Marino, the options out there didn’t overly convince GM Bill Armstrong.
In fact, Armstrong wanted Provorov. But the Blue Jackets were unwilling to unload the pending free agent in light of Columbus’ surprisingly strong start. As a result, the Blue Jackets decided to hold on to Provorov for the time being.
While that doesn’t mean that Provorov won’t be dealt at some point this season, the deal just wasn’t going to happen now. Meanwhile, Utah had a pressing need for another defenseman. So, they went ahead and pulled the trigger on Maatta.
Overall, it seems like the Utah Hockey Club has filled its most pressing need with Maatta. But LeBrun’s comments also shed light on another rumor that had been circulating for several weeks.
Utah Hockey Club passed on Timothy Liljegren
One pervasive rumor focused on Utah’s reported interest in former Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue liner Timothy Liljegren. The speculation had been that given Utah’s blue line issues, the Hockey Club would be willing to pull the trigger on a deal.
However, that did not materialize. The Hockey Club traded for Maatta and the Leafs dealt Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks,
Now, the interesting part is that the Utah Hockey Club passed on Liljegren because he had two years left on his contract. According to LeBrun, the Hockey Club wanted a defenseman who would become a free agent after this season.
The rationale behind that decision lies in the fact that the Hockey Club didn’t want to complicate its cap situation by taking on any long-term deals. That’s why the Hockey Club had targeted Provorov, but settled for Maatta.
As for Liljegren, the rebuilding Sharks have cap space and a lineup spot for him. That’s something that Utah wasn’t prepared to offer the Swedish blueliner.
In the end, it seems that the Utah Hockey Club tried hard to avoid taking on any potentially toxic contracts. While a two-year deal isn’t necessarily toxic, it could complicate the Hockey Club’s cap structure once everyone is healthy.
For the time being, it seems Utah got blue line help at a manageable price.