Blue Jackets Declined Utah Trade, Leading to Olli Maatta Deal

A recent report by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun revealed that the Columbus Blue Jackets turned down a trade offer involving defenseman Ivan Provorov from the Utah Hockey Club. Utah was eyeing Provorov as a potential addition to strengthen their blue line but ultimately pivoted to acquiring Olli Maatta from the Detroit Red Wings when Columbus made it clear they weren’t ready to part with Provorov.

With the Blue Jackets playing better than anyone would have expected this season, management is hesitant to break up the roster, especially when it comes to key contributors like Provorov. Despite being a pending UFA, Provorov is going to be a crucial piece in Columbus’ defense. If they believe there’s a chance of making the playoffs, he’ll be a big part of that. And, even if they don’t, while the feel-good story is still going on after a huge loss this summer, Columbus isn’t looking at putting a damper on the positivity surrounding the team in a very difficult time.

Additionally, with a portion of Provorov’s salary still covered (30%) by Los Angeles from a previous trade, his manageable cap hit makes him even more valuable as a trade asset later in the season if Columbus decides to sell.

Utah Had to Make a Move, They Couldn’t Wait for Provorov

The Utah Hockey Club, facing mounting injuries on defense, needed to make a move. They didn’t want to add a player who would be under contract beyond this season, so Maatta became a stop-gap solution until John Marino returns. Maatta is sound enough defensively to be reliable in a depth role and provides Utah with immediate relief. He was also cheaper than Provorov, both in terms of his cap hit and what it would have taken to convince Columbus to let Provoro go.

Keep an eye on Provorov. Depending on what Columbus does this season, the defenseman will remain a high-ticket player to watch for teams looking to bolster their defense ahead of the trade deadline on March 7. It’s not clear if Utah will get back into the running (likely not if their players are healthy again), but a handful of other teams probably will.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period noted: “Don Waddell is getting calls and inquiries and the staff there as well, with respect to (Ivan) Provorov and a few others, he’s going to be a high ticket guy. He’s going to be somebody a lot of teams are going to be poking around on to see what that price tag is going to be later on in the season.”

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