Let the Kevin Shattenkirk sweepstakes begin.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were among a slew of clubs to check in on the soon-to-be unrestricted free-agent defenseman Sunday, sources told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

Shattenkirk is the biggest prize in a relatively weak free-agent class this summer, so it's no surprise that he has multiple suitors, but it's interesting to see the Lightning involved even in a preliminary capacity.

Tampa Bay was the Eastern Conference club that nearly landed Shattenkirk in a seven-year, $42-million sign-and-trade agreement back in January before he turned it down, according to Smith and as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeremy Rutherford believed at the time.

The window for teams to contact pending UFAs officially opened Sunday.

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