Florida Panthers challenging Anton Lundell. What they’ve seen from him so far this season
Anton Lundell isn’t one to back down from a challenge. The Florida Panthers’ 22-year-old center and former first-round pick strives to be an all-around player, one his team can rely on in every situation.
He’s still growing to get to that point consistently but also has shown signs of being trusted by head coach Paul Maurice to be relied on in big moments in his third NHL season.
“His game has taken another step with regard to playing in dirty areas and doing what Paul references as the hard things — going to areas where yeah, you might get hit, you might get popped,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said Friday in an interview on the Bally Sports Florida broadcast.
That elevation hasn’t resulted in a ton of points just yet — Lundell has just two goals and seven assists through Florida’s first 20 games — but Maurice is looking beyond the scoresheet when it comes to Lundell’s contributions.
“The points are important for the player, for sure,” Maurice said. “For the team, we want to score goals, but that is secondary in terms of what [Lundell] does on a nightly basis. I’m really happy with where Anton is.”
The Panthers have asked a lot out of Lundell this season. Between injuries and roster turnover, Lundell saw a revolving door of linemates through the first month of the season. His priority is to elevate the game of those he’s on the ice with on any given night, modifying his game to their strengths.
He generally centers Florida’s third line, but twice already this season Lundell has been tasked with filling in on the Panthers’ top line when captain Aleksander Barkov was out of the lineup — first a one-game stint due to illness and then a two-game stretch last week when Barkov was out with a knee injury.
Lundell also plays on Florida’s second power-play unit and sees time on the penalty kill.
“It’s an opportunity,” Lundell said. “I never want anybody to be away, but it’s opportunity for guys to step up. Not only me, but other lines as well. But yeah, I’m just trying to do my best, and playing against other teams’ first lines and best players is a huge, huge challenge. I like to take that.”
And he has a good mentor helping him prep for that role. Barkov, a native of Finland like Lundell, has taken the time over the past three seasons to mentor Lundell. The two play very similar styles, both defensive-minded with an ability to make the big play when needed.
“It’s amazing how at such a young age, he is such a complete player,” Barkov said. “He plays really well on both ends. Plays on the power play. Plays on the penalty kill. He’s really good on faceoffs. It’s pretty rare for a younger guy to be that complete of a player. He wants to learn every day. He’s working on his game and wants to learn a lot of new things.”
Off to Canada
The Panthers (12-7-1) now head to Canada to play three games in four days.
The road trip starts with a back-to-back Monday against the Ottawa Senators (8-8-0) and Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It ends Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. All three games are scheduled for a 7 p.m. puck drop.
Florida has yet to play Ottawa or Montreal this season but won its first game of the season against Toronto 3-1 on Oct. 19 in Sunrise.
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