Ohlulnd Signs in Tampa

The Tampa Bay Lightning have made the first splash in the free agent pool, signing Mattias Ohlund to a new deal on Wednesday. Ohlund signed a 7-year deal worth $24.5 million, which works out to a cap hit of $3.5 million per season. At 32-years old, he will bring some much needed experience to the Lightning at the backend.

Ohlund has spent his entire career with the Vancouver Canucks, playing 770 games with the Canucks and registering 325 points in the process. In 2009, Ohlund played in all 82 games, picking up 25 points. That ranks him 352nd in pool points throughout the league and 71st among defensemen.

This deal is a good one for the Lightning, as they get another Swedish defenseman to help out their number two overall pick in Victor Hedman. At $3.5 million against the cap, the Lightning remain in good shape for the remainder of the free agent frenzy, sitting at 13 players @ $39.7 million.