Penguins sign Olli Maatta to 6-year extension

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Olli Maatta to a six-year contract extension worth about $24.5 million, the team announced Friday.

The deal carries an average annual value of $4,083,000 and runs through the 2021-22 season.

Maatta was a pending restricted free agent with a cap hit of less than $1 million this season.

The 21-year-old ranks third on the Penguins in average time on ice at 19:35, logging less than only Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby.

Despite posting only 16 points in 53 games, he's driving possession with an even-strength Corsi For percentage of 51.1, according to War-On-Ice.

The Penguins buy two of Maatta's hypothetical unrestricted free agent years with the six-year pact, as Sportsnet's Chris Johnston points out.

The extension includes a limited no-trade clause in the last two seasons, when Maatta can provide an eight-team list of clubs to which he can't be traded, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports.

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