The 2025-26 NHL season is here as the Florida Panthers raise their 2025 Stanley Cup Championship flag to the top against the Chicago Blackhawks. Missing from the line-up are Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, who put Anton Lundell in the spotlight.
The Panthers had depth at center with Barkov, Sam Bennett and Lundell. But even with Bennett getting a new eight-year, $64 million contract with an AAV of $8 million, how many people still consider him a number one center? Head coach Paul Maurice is adjusting his lineup accordingly, with potential cap casualty Evan Rodrigues taking center stage for now. However, the belief is that Lundell could see top minutes at some point this season.
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Lundell, who was drafted 12th overall by the Panthers in the 2020 NHL Draft, found a role in third-line minutes behind Bennett and Barkov. It took him some time to adjust to the NHL. Remember, this was the COVID draft, which caused many young players to lose development time; however, there was a belief that he could have played in the center of the second line. That’s why the Panthers drafted him.
His offensive ability has yet to be utilized by the Panthers. Although you saw glimpses in the play-offs last year, playing alongside Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen. That was the best line in the playoffs, not just for the Panthers, but for the entire league. They combined to score 57 points (21 goals and 36 assists).
Lundell specifically had 18 points (six goals and 12 assists) in 23 playoff games. While some people may look at the numbers, you saw a player who was more confident with the puck, drove to the net, used his body more, and his passing was good. Not to mention Lundell took on a bigger role in the defensive zone.
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Maurice put him there when drawing defensive zones. Lundell also played more penalty kill minutes. He’s only getting better. Last season he scored 45 points (17 goals and 28 assists) in 79 games. Lundell was one shy of his career-high 18 goals set as a rookie in the 2021-22 season, but broke his assist total (26) by two and his point total (44) by one.
So the offensive talent is there; he simply accepted being a control center with the Panthers. But if Sam Bennett had left via free agency, Barkov and Lundell would have been in the middle one-two. Chances are you’ve already seen his attacking talent unfold, but given Barkov’s absence from the lineup this season, Anton Lundell is a player to keep an eye on.
If Chris Peters said this during his 2020 draft year, “Lundell is one of the most mature, intelligent players on the ice in this league. After all, he already has two professional seasons under his belt, demonstrating high-quality vision and playmaking skills while demonstrating a commitment to playing defense.”
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Anton Lundell’s attacking ability is there; this is the year we’ll see it. Currently, Maurice has adjusted the entire lineup of Luostarinen, Lundell, and Marchand so that he doesn’t disrupt their chemistry. However, there could come a time this season, as we saw at times last year, when Lundell is at the top with Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe.
Again, the lines are smooth, but Reinhart has reportedly gone down, according to Daily Faceoffto play with Lundell because there is some chemistry between them. The point remains that Anton Lundell will be a major factor in the Florida Panthers’ success this season, despite the absence of two important spokes in the wheel to start the season.
The best is yet to come from Lundell as the Panthers try to keep the three-peat alive.
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