Four years after being drafted by the Canucks, Öhlund was set to be eligible to re-enter the NHL Entry Draft when he signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on August 1, 1997.
Worth US$10 million over five years, including a signing bonus of $7.5 million, it was considerably more than the maximum rookie contract of $850,000 per year the Canucks, as the team that drafted Öhlund, were allowed to offer.
Under league rules, the Canucks were given one week to either match the contract or trade Öhlund's NHL rights to the Maple Leafs.
Rather than lose him, the Canucks agreed to the contract on August 7.

As part of a promotion for the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first to allow NHL participation in the ice hockey tournament, the Canucks opened the 1997–98 season with a pair of games against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in Tokyo.
Öhlund thus played his first NHL game in Japan on October 3, 1997.
He scored his first goal against Félix Potvin of the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9, as well as earning his first assist in that game.
Playing 77 games as a rookie, he tied Jyrki Lumme for the team lead in scoring among defencemen with 7 goals and 30 points.
In recognition of his play during the season, he was awarded the Babe Pratt Trophy, given to the Canucks' best defenceman.
In addition, Öhlund was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie in the league, finishing second in voting to Sergei Samsonov of the Boston Bruins with 11 first-place ballots to Samsonov's 43.
His 30 points, the fifth best total among first year players and highest by a rookie defenceman, helped him earn a position on the NHL All-Rookie Team.

In his second season in the NHL, Öhlund was selected to the annual NHL All-Star Game as a replacement for an injured player.
Playing for the World team, composed of NHLers from outside North America, Öhlund scored one goal and had an assist as the North American team won, 8–6.
With 9 goals and 35 points in 74 games, Öhlund led the Canucks' defencemen in scoring and placed fifth overall on the team.

Prior to the start of the 1999–2000 season, in a pre-season game against the Ottawa Senators on September 21, 1999, a puck deflected off Öhlund's stick and struck him in the right eye.
The injury forced Öhlund to miss the first 38 games of the season.
He underwent surgery to correct his vision and returned to the Canucks the same season and scored 20 points in 42 games, again winning the Babe Pratt Trophy as the Canucks' best defenceman.
The following year, he missed an additional 17 games after undergoing surgery once more to relieve building internal pressure on his eye.
Playing in his first game back in the lineup on November 28, 2000, Öhlund scored the game-winning goal for the Canucks in a 4–1 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Öhlund played the final 65 games of the season, scoring 8 goals and 28 points.
He also made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut, recording four points in four games.

The 2001–02 season saw Öhlund play 81 games and record a career-high 36 points, with an additional two points in six playoff games.
A knee injury during the 2002–03 season led Öhlund to miss several games; while he only scored 2 goals in the 59 games he played in, Öhlund set a career-high in assists with 27.
That was followed by appearing in a career-high 13 playoff games, where he had three goals and four assists for seven points.
In 2003–04, Öhlund tallied a career-high 14 goals and played in all 82 games with Vancouver for the first time in his career.
For his efforts, Öhlund was named the winner of the Babe Pratt Trophy.

The 2004–05 season was cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout.
Like many other NHL players, Öhlund played in Europe, joining his former team, Luleå HF, on December 21.
However, eight days later, after playing two games with the team and scoring one goal, Öhlund left the team.
As well as briefly playing in Sweden, Öhlund took part in a charity hockey match set up by Canucks teammate Brad May and held in Vancouver on December 12, 2004.
Including several NHL players, the game raised nearly $1 millio
Four years after being drafted by the Canucks, Öhlund was set to be eligible to re-enter the NHL Entry Draft when he signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on August 1, 1997. Worth US$10 million over five years, including a signing bonus of $7.5 million, it was considerably more than the maximum rookie contract of $850,000 per year the Canucks, as the team that drafted Öhlund, were allowed to offer. Under league rules, the Canucks were given one week to either match the contract or trade Öhlund's NHL rights to the Maple Leafs. Rather than lose him, the Canucks agreed to the contract on August 7.
As part of a promotion for the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first to allow NHL participation in the ice hockey tournament, the Canucks opened the 1997–98 season with a pair of games against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in Tokyo. Öhlund thus played his first NHL game in Japan on October 3, 1997. He scored his first goal against Félix Potvin of the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9, as well as earning his first assist in that game. Playing 77 games as a rookie, he tied Jyrki Lumme for the team lead in scoring among defencemen with 7 goals and 30 points. In recognition of his play during the season, he was awarded the Babe Pratt Trophy, given to the Canucks' best defenceman. In addition, Öhlund was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie in the league, finishing second in voting to Sergei Samsonov of the Boston Bruins with 11 first-place ballots to Samsonov's 43. His 30 points, the fifth best total among first year players and highest by a rookie defenceman, helped him earn a position on the NHL All-Rookie Team.
In his second season in the NHL, Öhlund was selected to the annual NHL All-Star Game as a replacement for an injured player. Playing for the World team, composed of NHLers from outside North America, Öhlund scored one goal and had an assist as the North American team won, 8–6. With 9 goals and 35 points in 74 games, Öhlund led the Canucks' defencemen in scoring and placed fifth overall on the team.
Prior to the start of the 1999–2000 season, in a pre-season game against the Ottawa Senators on September 21, 1999, a puck deflected off Öhlund's stick and struck him in the right eye. The injury forced Öhlund to miss the first 38 games of the season. He underwent surgery to correct his vision and returned to the Canucks the same season and scored 20 points in 42 games, again winning the Babe Pratt Trophy as the Canucks' best defenceman. The following year, he missed an additional 17 games after undergoing surgery once more to relieve building internal pressure on his eye. Playing in his first game back in the lineup on November 28, 2000, Öhlund scored the game-winning goal for the Canucks in a 4–1 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Öhlund played the final 65 games of the season, scoring 8 goals and 28 points. He also made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut, recording four points in four games.
The 2001–02 season saw Öhlund play 81 games and record a career-high 36 points, with an additional two points in six playoff games. A knee injury during the 2002–03 season led Öhlund to miss several games; while he only scored 2 goals in the 59 games he played in, Öhlund set a career-high in assists with 27. That was followed by appearing in a career-high 13 playoff games, where he had three goals and four assists for seven points. In 2003–04, Öhlund tallied a career-high 14 goals and played in all 82 games with Vancouver for the first time in his career. For his efforts, Öhlund was named the winner of the Babe Pratt Trophy.
The 2004–05 season was cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. Like many other NHL players, Öhlund played in Europe, joining his former team, Luleå HF, on December 21. However, eight days later, after playing two games with the team and scoring one goal, Öhlund left the team. As well as briefly playing in Sweden, Öhlund took part in a charity hockey match set up by Canucks teammate Brad May and held in Vancouver on December 12, 2004. Including several NHL players, the game raised nearly $1 millio
Mattias Öhlund