Mattias Ohlund Bolts the Canucks for Lightning

It will take quite some getting used to in watching veteran defenceman Mattias Ohlund wearing something other then the Vancouver Canucks colors. Being a Canucks fan I’ve always associated the 32 year-old as being like a Steve Yzerman or Joe Sakic in that he would play his entire career with one team. After thrilling Vancouver fans for 12 campaigns the former 13^th overall pick in the 1994 draft opted for a change of scenery on July 1 when he signed a seven year 26.25 million dollar contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. “We are thrilled Mattias elected to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning today,” Tampa By GM Brian Lawton said about the player who will be mentoring their recent second overall pick Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman. “With so many options in front of him, having him elect to play in Tampa demonstrates the faith he has in our team’s strategy and vision for success, which should be exciting for our fans. We have found a leader and a mentor for Victor Hedman as he prepares to play in the NHL this fall.” Ohlund who is coming off a season of 25 points and +14 had his biggest moment in hockey back in 2006 when he helped Sweden win gold in the Olympics. In his career Ohlund has scored 93 goals and 325 total points.