Rumor: Olli Maatta Is Done In Chicago

At the end of last season, the Chicago Blackhawks acquired Olli Maatta from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Dominik Kahun and and a 2019 5th round draft pick. The Blackhawks are currently down 3-1 in their first round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Whether they are eliminated or advance to the second round, Maatta's days in Chicago are numbered.

Lisa Dillman of the Athletic believes Maatta will be bought out by the Blackhawks at the end of this season. His cap hit is $4.088 million, but there are still two years left on his contract. The Blackhawks are in dire need of cap space as they still need to sign Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, and Corey Crawford.

Maatta has been a rather disappointing 1st round pick since his rookie season in 2012. If Maatta were to be bought out, the cap hit would only be $680,000, alleviating $3.4 million in annual cap space.

Photographer: Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire