Pontus Holmberg reportedly signs 2-year deal worth $1.55M annually with Lightning

Pontus Holmberg is signing a two-year deal worth $1.55 million annually with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.

Holmberg was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and joined the organization during the 2021-22 campaign, after spending parts of five seasons with Vaxjo HC of the Swedish Hockey League. The 26-year-old recorded seven goals and 19 points in 68 games with the Maple Leafs, adding one assist in 12 playoff games. Holmberg recorded 19 goals and 49 points in 159 career games with the Maple Leafs.

During his Leafs’ tenure, Holmberg was primarily asked to play in a fourth line role and retain possession. Last season, Holmberg led the team with 25 drawn penalties in all situations, tied for 19th in the NHL. It was a quality that certainly helped the Maple Leafs’ scorching power play get back onto the ice, but in standalone scenarios, Holmberg struggled to  keep up with top-six competition, even when supported by John Tavares and William Nylander.

Holmberg will likely slot into a fourth line role for the Lightning, a team that boasts two of the best defensive forwards in the NHL in Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel, so it’s possible that he may only be deployed in 5-on-5 scenarios.

At his best, Holmberg is a stellar penalty killer with some good speed, and will fight for pucks, even if he gets outmuscled by larger defenders on the forecheck. He’s quietly improved during every year of his NHL career and though he’s firmly in his prime, it appears that the Lightning are making a low-risk, medium-reward bet on a player they believe can augment their bottom-six.

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