REPORT: CANUCKS' OHLUND PREPARED TO TEST MARKET

REPORT: CANUCKS' OHLUND PREPARED TO TEST MARKET
TSN.CA STAFF

It looks as though Canucks' defenceman Mattias Ohlund will be testing the market this summer.

According to TEAM 1040 Radio in Vancouver, talks between the unrestricted free agent and the Canucks have broken off.

"I feel an excitement I haven't felt in a long time and sometimes the unknown is pretty appealing to you," Ohlund told TEAM 1040 radio in Vancouver. "I've been here for a long time and it's been a great 11 years and if it's meant to be, it's going to continue. Otherwise I'm more than happy to move on.

"I want to be here if it's a good fit for myself and my family and the Canucks. If not, it's time to go," said Ohlund, who has spent his entire NHL career with Vancouver. "It's not hard at all - it's actually pretty exciting not knowing what's going to happen here in the future."

After Ohlund wraps up this, the final year of a contract that is paying him $3.5 million this season, the 32-year-old Swede will be a highly sought free agent. Ohlund's agent J.P. Barry has said contract talks with the Canucks will be re-started after season's end, a sentiment echoed by his client.

"To be honest, I think the most likely scenario is we'll play this year out and see what happens here and in the off-season and summer time," Ohlund told TEAM 1040. "And I'm sure at some point it's going to be addressed."

Ohlund has had a large impact on the ice for Vancouver since breaking into the league in 1997-98. He has played 748 games for the Canucks - which places him fifth all-time in games played for the franchise – and at 319 points, Ohlund is just two points away from becoming the team's all-time scoring leader as a defenceman.

Ohlund was picked 13th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, the Canucks' first selection that year.