In need of a veteran presence on the blue line, the Lightning are expected to bring in veteran defenseman Marek Malik on Wednesday and sign the 33-year-old to a one-year contract, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Malik spent the past three seasons with the New York Rangers but appeared in only 42 games last season after falling out of favor with New York head coach Tom Renney. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound native of Ostrava, Czech Republic, is a veteran of 649 NHL games and would bring a stay-at-home physical presence the team has been seeking since the start of training camp last month.

The Lightning’s defense is among the youngest in the league with five of the seven defensemen under the age of 26 and another, Janne Niskala, in his first season in the NHL.

In Tampa Bay’s first three games they have allowed 126 shots on goal, including 46 against Carolina in the home opener on Saturday.