Pens lose their biggest trade bait to injury

The Pittsburgh Penguins are usually pretty active around the trade deadline, but it seems like general manager Jim Rutherford will need to come out with a change of plan quickly as it appears he has now lost one of his biggest trade baits. 

The team announced on Tuesday afternoon that defenseman Olli Maatta is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. The veteran blue liner sustained an upper-body injury after he absorbed a check during the team's 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

While there are very little details on the nature of his injury, it seems like the long recovery period will make it hard for the Penguins to sell him on the trade market. 

Back in December, a source close to the team had informed Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now that Rutherford was willing to move Mattaa for the right return, especially seeing that the Finnish defender has struggled all season long. 

Maatta has undergone shoulder surgeries and cancer treatments since 2014. He is in the third year of a six-year, $24.5 million contract with an average annual value of $4.083 million.

The new additions of centre Jared McCann and centre-turned-winger Nick Bjugstad from the Florida Panthers might have changed the Pens' decision to move Maatta. However now, the defenseman and his injury made a clear choice for the team. 

On Monday, the Penguins acquired minor-league defender Blake Siebenaler from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a conditional 2019 draft pick. The 22-year-old has yet to appear in an NHL game, but could certainly bring depth down the line.