from the Pittsburgh Penguins,

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Olli Maatta to a six-year contract extension, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

The deal begins with the 2016-17 season and runs through the 2021-22 campaign, and has an average annual value of $4.083 million.

Maatta, 21, has six goals, 10 assists, 16 points and a plus-18 in 53 games. His plus-18 is third-highest among all NHL blueliners.

The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Maatta has been paired with Kris Letang for a majority of the season on the Penguins’ top defensive pairing. Since the two were united on Nov. 13, Maatta’s steady presence has allowed Letang to post the third-highest point total among all NHL defensemen.

continued