On July 1, the Lightning signed forward Pontus Holmberg [https://www.nhl.com/lightning/news/lightning-sign-forward-pontus-holmberg-to-a-two-year-contract]to a two-year contract worth an AAV of $1.55 million. The 26-year old became a free agent after the Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs] opted not to extend him a qualifying offer for salary cap purposes. Holmberg, who faced the Lightning often during his time in Toronto, arrived somewhat familiar with his new team. One of the biggest differences he’s noticed so far is the media pressure — once the skates are off, things feel more relaxed. “There’s really good guys here, and I like the city too. Good weather,” said Holmberg. “This is a really good organization and so far everything has been great.” On adjusting from Toronto to Tampa, Holmberg said camp hasn’t felt all that different. “So far it’s been a good practice, lots of skating,” he said. “I’m really happy to be here.” The 6-foot, 201-pound forward started his career with the Leafs after being drafted in the sixth round in 2018. He skated in a total of 159 career NHL games, all with the same organization. Holmberg said fans can expect hard work and a strong defensive game from him. “I'm pretty a strong guy in the corner with the puck. I hope I can score a little bit more than I did last season. I know I can do more offensively, but my game is good starting with defense.” For head coach Jon Cooper, the physicality stood out early on into camp. “He works hard, I’ll tell you that,” Cooper said. “And there was a little chatter in the coach’s room: ‘You know, this guy’s gonna help us.’ ...We’ll see as this gets going on here, putting him in situations where he can succeed and what his strengths are, but on the energy side and skating and tenacity part, he passed all those tests.” During Wednesday’s media day, general manager Julien BriseBois said center Nick Paul will be out until November after undergoing surgery last Friday for an upper-body injury. Paul’s absence opens the door for Holmberg to make an early impact. “Having Pontus on board makes us an even better defensive team, and it gives our young guys a little more time to work their way in,” said BriseBois. “He's still young enough, versatile enough, mostly played center, can play the wing, can kill penalties. From a production standpoint, he would take a little bit of pressure off of some of our younger guys from having to step in right away at the start of season, and play a big role.” The Lightning kick off their preseason schedule Sept. 22 with a Monday night matchup in Carolina. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes]
