'I like where we're going': Maatta inks two-year extension with Red Wings

CALGARY -- When Olli Maatta signed a one-year free-agent contract with the Detroit Red Wings last summer, he expressed excitement about the club's trajectory and a desire to help build something special in Hockeytown.

And even after the Red Wings officially announced a two-year extension for the 28-year-old defenseman on Thursday morning, Maatta continues to look toward the future.
"I'm happy," Matta told
DetroitRedWings.com
on Thursday evening at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. "I like it here a lot and I like where we're going. The organization is awesome and I like the city. It's nice to be somewhere that they trust you to give you that contract."

Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde described the moment when his players learned of Maatta's new contract as "awesome."
"A lot of times, you see something like that, and the reaction of the guys says a lot," Lalonde said. "The guys were ecstatic and overwhelmed. He's a great pro and human being. It made a lot of sense. The room is very excited."
Maatta has played in 49 games this season, scoring five goals and adding 12 assists for 17 points with a plus-5 rating. He's quickly established himself as an important piece of the club's defensive core, providing a calming presence both on and off the ice.
"We came in here this summer talking about being predictable and simple as a team," Lalonde said. "He's all of that. He calms us down on the back end. It's hard to pick out a poor game he's given us this year."

Contract talks between both sides, according to Maatta, materialized rather quickly.
"Just for my part, I didn't try to think about it at all until a couple nights ago when they said we might have something here and [asked] if I wanted to stay or not," the Finnish blueliner said. "I was just trying to play hockey and focus on the next game."
Maatta added that finalizing a deal with the Red Wings at this point of the season feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
"It's always stressful," Maatta said. "You don't wanna think about it at all, but it's always in the back of your mind. But having this done is awesome. It gives you that confidence and relief that you're gonna be here. You can kind of put all your eggs in one basket because you know you're gonna be around and try to help the team make that push."

Following Wednesday's 5-4 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers, Detroit sits just four points out of the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
And with a new deal in hand, Maatta is more excited than ever to help the Red Wings continue their push back to the playoffs.
"We've shown at times how good we can be," Maatta said. "We're in a fight right now and we're playing good hockey. We can definitely make a push here, so I think that's really exciting."