Utah’s Olli Määttä is like a wine that only gets better with age, writes Urheilu’s NHL editor Tommi Seppälä.
Tommi Seppälä NHL reporter
11:50•Updated 12:00
In the middle of October, it started to happen. The second top defenseman of Utah’s NHL team Sean Durzi was seriously injured, as a result of which a lot of playing minutes were left on offer. The eyes of both the coaching management and the general public turned to the one who signed a two-year contract with the club for a total of four million dollars in the summer Juuso Välimäki26.
There was no Välimäti to take over, even though the playing time was increased with superior responsibility in all by more than 20 minutes.
In the four matches following Durzi’s injury, the defender from Nokia recorded 0+0, -8 and nine puck losses. At this point, the head coach Andre Tourignyand apparently also the club management, had seen enough.
First, Välimäki was moved to the stand, and after that, through the player trade, the one who has seen, experienced and won everything was brought in Olli Määtä30, of Detroit.
The raw NHL world showed its face to Välimäki. In the NHL, the salaries are tough, but so is the environment. When a central player gets a chance, you have to succeed immediately. Välimäki, who operated nervously throughout the fall both with and without the puck, cared and perhaps tried too much. The whole thing crumbled.
And not for the first time. When Utah played in Arizona last season, Välimäki got his game going only after great difficulties and orders from the stands.
Obtaining external help, i.e. Määtä, may even mean the final breaking of the tendon.
And Välimäki’s situation hasn’t even been helped by Määtä’s excellent performances in Utah. Määtä has been broken by the number one defender Mikhail Sergatshevin next to excellent. The JYP graduate, who won two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh and played his 700th NHL game last week, has shown his greatness in Salt Lake City.
Määttä has brought to the back lines of a boyishly floundering youthful team just the kind of adult-like solidity it has been needing. Määtä is not particularly dynamic with the puck, but easy passes click on the shoulder and positioning without the puck, stick pressure and small snake tongues here and there disrupt the opponent’s game well.
After all these years, Määttä is still an absolutely excellent NHL defenseman – like wine that only gets better with age. Playing Määtä is effortless in many places because he doesn’t try to be better than himself. Määtä also makes mistakes, but the risk factor is moderate in them.
This is how the cookie crumbles in the NHL. The color of the passport does not matter when competing for playing spots. Finally, Määtta drove Välimäki into a really tight gap.
Välimäki started well in the organization two years ago and last season also had some good moments, but now the situation is dire in the big picture. Välimäki has not been able to grow into the kind of dynamic two-way defender that the club expected. No, even though there have been big minutes up to the power play.
Välimäki is not Määtä’s player profile, Esa Lindell or Jani Hakanpää similar to basal bone. Still, the power column shows a balance of 0+0 after 16 matches. Välimäki has not scored a goal in 48 matches.
It has been driven by from the right and left. As long as Sean Durzi and recovering from back surgery John Marino are returning to the roots, the club has ten NHL defensemen on their hands. Even though Välimäki has a contract for the coming season as well, the regulations right now point in the direction of the transfer list, as long as the defense gets healthy.
Expectations and ice level operation in balance
At the same time, Määtt has – should I say it again – only added fuel to the flame of his long and successful NHL career. If a few years ago a slightly more leisurely and angular movement raised questions about the length of Määtä’s NHL career, now they can be forgotten.
Määtta is a 12-season NHL player who is loved by coaches. The Jyväskylä player’s defensive playing skills, spontaneity and reliability are values that will never go out of style. Määtta has fantastically found himself as a player a long time ago.
Määtt doesn’t aim for personal glory or the moon from the sky, but is content to constantly make the right small moves according to what the game asks at any given time.
That is the state of affairs for many other NHL players.