The Lightning are picking up forward Pontus Holmberg after he went unqualified by the Maple Leafs Monday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. It’s a two-year deal worth $1.55M per season, per Darren Dreger of TSN.
As expected, the Lightning are operating on the fringes of this year’s free agent market. In Holmberg, they have added a candidate with low risk and low reward, who can be easily placed in their bottom six.
Tampa Bay’s front office appears to value Holmberg’s potential for lineup flexibility. He’ll likely slot into a third or fourth‑line role, bringing speed at even strength and depth on the penalty kill. Despite scoring a lowly 19 goals and 49 points through 159 career contests, Holmberg averaged a 92.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength with Toronto.
The Lightning came into the offseason with a mandate to build up the team’s bottom-six, and adding Holmberg certainly helps. It’s an open debate whether he’s earned a consistent spot on the roster over a player like Mitchell Chaffee, but Holmberg could replace him if necessary.
Should Holmberg fail to capitalize during his new two-year agreement with the Lightning, it very well could spell the end of his playing career in North America. It likely wouldn’t take him long to find a landing spot overseas, as Holmberg spent much of his professional career with the SHL’s Växjö Lakers HC before coming to the Maple Leafs organization.
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