L.A. Kings acquire former Penguins defenseman Maatta from Blackhawks
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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Kings acquired defenseman Olli Maatta from the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade for minor league forward Brad Morrison.
The Kings announced the deal Sunday to acquire Maatta, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Maatta spent last season with the Blackhawks after six seasons with the Penguins. The Finnish blueliner had four goals and 13 assists in 65 games for Chicago before adding three goals and three assists in nine playoff games.
The trade clears salary cap space for the Blackhawks, who acquired Maatta in June 2019. Maatta has two years and more than $8 million left on his contract, and the Blackhawks were contemplating a buyout to create space for their offseason business after Maatta had a mildly disappointing regular season.
The Kings need every quality defensemen they can get to supplement their unimpressive group around Drew Doughty and up-and-coming Sean Walker.
Los Angeles has the No. 2 overall pick in the draft Tuesday.