Olli Maatta is staying for a while.
The Penguins will allow Maatta, a 19-year-old defenseman, to play in more than nine games, multiple sources told the Tribune-Review.
That decision was reached before Maatta's pivotal role on the tying goal in the Penguins' 4-3 shootout victory over Vancouver at Consol Energy Center on Saturday afternoon.
Maatta, the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, played in his eighth game. He cannot play in more than nine games without this season counting as the first of an entry-level contract.
The number with more meaning for the Penguins regarding Maatta is 40, sources said.
That is the number of games in which Maatta can play for this to count as an accrued season. Playing an accrued season could allow Maatta to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 season, when Maatta would be 25.
Management has not determined if Maatta will stay in the NHL for the entire season, but only because the Penguins want to see how he handles the physical and mental grind, the sources said.
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Kris Letang, the Penguins' injured top defenseman, has lobbied coaches to push for Maatta to stay in the NHL.
