Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is in town this week to pack and prepare for departure. He was a Blue Jacket from the time he was drafted in 2002 until his last contract reached term 22 days ago. Now, he is drifting about in the murky waters of free agency, wondering when and where he will get another chance to earn his living in hockey.

They come, and they go. It is the nature of the game. It is just business.

Yesterday, center Sammy Pahlsson popped by Nationwide Arena to be sure nobody spelled his name the Finnish way (Sami). Pahlsson has played for the Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks in his nine-year career. This month, the Jackets signed him to a free-agent contract worth $7.98 million over three years.

Pahlsson, his wife, Johanna, and their infant son flew in from Sweden for a whirlwind three-day tour of Columbus. The primary task is to find a house, posthaste. Pahlsson paused to stand for TV and radio interviews, and he sounded all the right notes. He even smiled when one wag in the back suggested that he, Pahlsson, is a perfect Ken Hitchcock player. Why? Because he does not score, and he defends like a demon.

Meanwhile, Tollefsen was driving through the rain to the Cleveland Clinic. He had knee surgery there in December and again in April. His visit yesterday was for a final checkup. It was yet another bittersweet duty in what has been a bittersweet past month.

Tollefsen and his fiancee, Guro, were married in Norway on June 27. Two days later, they found out they wouldn't be coming back to Columbus. The Jackets have a glut of left-shot, stay-at-home defensemen and didn't want to pay Tollefsen his qualifying price of $787,500. General manager Scott Howson said it was a tough decision, and he wasn't kidding. He cut a player who is, in many ways, what a Jacket ought to be.

Tollefsen was drafted by the Jackets in 2002. He moved from his native Norway, at the behest of the team, to play junior hockey in Brandon, Manitoba. He spent two years there and two years in Syracuse before he made the big club in 2006. He was everyone's favorite teammate, for his wit, his humor and his smile -- not to mention his thunderous hits and overhand rights.

Tollefsen will leave behind young friends in J5, the pediatric cancer ward at Nationwide Children's Hospital. He will leave behind a group of players who understand the sacrifices he made on behalf of the team. He will leave behind pieces of his body.

In three seasons, Tollefsen had 26 fights in a Jackets sweater. He traded punches with Jordin Tootoo, Martin Lapointe, Jarome Iginla, Daniel Carcillo -- anyone who needed to be engaged, or wanted to have at it.

In three seasons, Tollefsen played with a broken nose, busted ribs, broken hands and an overblown elbow. He played half a season with a cracked vertebra in his neck. He has had surgery to relieve pressure on a nerve in his cervical spine. He has had his knee carved, twice. He can't even begin to count the stitches.

The players like to say they understand the business. Pahlsson got here this week, and he is smiling. Tollefsen also flew in for a few days -- to pack up -- and his stomach is in knots.

On his cell phone as he traveled to Cleveland, Tollefsen spoke of the families he had met through the Blue Jackets Foundation, the team's charitable arm. He spoke about how he loved Columbus, how he had so many friends here, how he adored his teammates, how he will miss it all.

Tuesday, as movers loaded a truck outside his apartment, Tollefsen became fixed on a large photograph that was framed in 2006. It is a long-range shot that captures the moment of celebration after a goal is scored. The picture shows Tollefsen and his good buddy Aaron Johnson, clutching. The smiling forwards are Sergei Fedorov, David Vyborny and Rick Nash.

"When I took that down from the wall, it was a little bit emotional," Tollefsen said. "This is the first time for me, and it's a little more than I expected, if you know what I mean."

The business can be like that.

Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.

marace@dispatch.com