Three players who figure to be key to a long Florida Panthers playoff run
When the Florida Panthers begin the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs and attempt to repeat as champions, they will have plenty of star power to help their cause.
Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart are two of the league’s top two-way forwards. Matthew Tkachuk, when he returns from injury, will provide a physical spark with a knack for scoring. Gustav Forsling has morphed into one of the league’s top defensive defensemen during the past few years. Sergei Bobrovsky turns into “Playoff Bob” in net.
But it’s the group beyond the stars that will be integral to the Panthers’ success. The big names need to do their job, of course, but the role players can make just as much of a difference if they are able to be game-changers.
Here are three players who figure to be key to a long Panthers playoff run.
Center Anton Lundell
Lundell has been a mainstay in the Panthers’ lineup since being selected 12th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. At just 23 years old, he has already played in 295 regular-season games and another 54 playoff contests.
But Lundell’s role for this Florida team this entire time has been as their third-line center, a role that can flip a game on its head if played correctly.
Teams try to exploit matchups, and more often than not the Panthers have seen opponents try to match their top line against Lundell’s line in the playoffs during the past few years. Lundell, who has a two-way game similar to a younger Barkov, has generally held his own when challenged against a team’s best. When that happens, it opens the door for the Panthers to exploit the opponent by putting their top line against lesser competition, turning the matchup game in their favor.
During the past two playoff runs, both of which ended with Florida reaching the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers have outscored opponents 26-18 when Lundell is on the ice at 5-on-5. That plus-8 goal differential is tied for second on the team behind only Tkachuk’s plus-12.
Lundell is in the midst of a career year, setting regular-season bests for points (45) and assists (28) while entering Tuesday’s regular-season finale one goal shy of matching his single-season high.
Center Nico Sturm
Discussion around players the Panthers acquired at the trade deadline in March tend to focus on Brad Marchand and Seth Jones, and that’s understandable. Marchand is a two-time All-Star, one-time Stanley Cup champion and was one of the top players in Boston Bruins history before being traded over to Florida. Jones has the makings of a top-pairing defenseman and shored up needed depth on the blue line.
But Sturm’s value will be integral to the Panthers in ways that usually don’t show up on the scoresheet. Firstly, the fourth-line center will be integral on the penalty kill, rolling out as part of the first forward pairing with Eetu Luostarinen. Secondly, he’s a wizard in the face-off circle, entering Tuesday having won 58.9% of his faceoffs this season — the fifth-best win percentage in the league among players who have taken at least 400 faceoffs.
It’s a role similar to the one Kevin Stenlund had for Florida last season.
Plus, Sturm has quality playoff experience, too. He won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov
Kulikov had a career resurgence in his return to Florida last season. After bouncing around with seven teams during his previous seven seasons, Kulikov anchored the Panthers’ third defense pairing last season once the team was at full strength and produced 20 points and a plus-minus of plus-15. He had one of the big plays of Florida’s Cup-winning Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers when he crashed into the Panthers’ net late in the second period to swipe the puck away from danger as the Oilers eyed a scoring chance. It started the sequence that ultimately led to Florida scoring the game-winning goal.
Kulikov was rewarded with a four-year contract in the offseason, and he has put together yet another strong season. He has 13 points and is a plus-13 this season while mostly playing on Florida’s second and third defense pairings.
However, when the playoffs begin, he will likely start the first couple games paired with Forsling while Aaron Ekblad serves the final games of his 20-game suspension.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 10:27 AM.
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