Anton Lundell and the Florida Panthers have agreed to a six-year, $30 million contract, one ensuring that the Stanley Cup champions have all eight of their leading scorers back to defend their title.
Lundell was a restricted free agent. He had 13 goals and 22 assists in 78 games for the Panthers this past regular season, and his production was even better in the playoffs – with 17 points in 24 games along the way to the Cup.
The last of those 17 playoff points was an assist to help set up Carter Verhaeghe’s opening goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, one where Florida topped Edmonton 2-1 to clinch the franchise’s first title.
“Since his arrival in North America, Anton has developed into a dependable multi-role center for our team,” stated Bill Zito, general manager and president of hockey operations for the Panthers. “We are thrilled to watch him continue to grow and succeed with the Panthers. His cerebral approach to the game and commitment to improvement earned him the profound respect of his teammates and coaches.”
Since the Panthers selected the 22-year-old Finnish center with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 draft, he has played for them for three seasons. In 216 games, he has 43 goals and 69 assists.
The Panthers now have even more of their core locked in for years to come, with Lundell, captain Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling all under contract through at least the 2029-30 season.
Also Wednesday, the Panthers finalized a one-year deal with defenseman Nate Schmidt. The 32-year-old veteran has played with four other NHL clubs, most recently Winnipeg – where he spent some time playing for Florida coach Paul Maurice.
