Olli MaattaD | Wings

Olli Maatta expects to be better next seasonJune 16, 2019 | 12:30 PM

Olli Maatta expects to be better next season after an injury limited him to 60 appearances. "(Maatta's) strengths are something that were not strengths for us, and that would be his ability to defend," said Chicago GM Stan Bowman. "He's got pretty good skills to move the puck as well. We certainly want our defensemen to be able to do that. We like the transition game (and) I think that was a strength of our team last year. We think he can certainly complement that, but first and foremost, we're going to look for him to be a steadying force for us on the defensive side." Maatta had 14 points, 116 blocks and 97 hits last year. He will turn 25 years of age in August and he has reached the 29-point mark twice in his career.