FORT LAUDERDALE – Anton Lundell is already a two-time Stanley Cup champion.
But what else could he be?
That’s the question Paul Maurice asks himself at the outset of each new season.
“If we go back three years, I’d say he’s quite a bit further ahead than you would expect a young player to be in terms of understanding the defensive parts of the game and being really, really good at it,” Maurice said after Tuesday’s practice at Baptist Health IcePlex.
Already a battle-tested veteran at just 23 years old, Lundell has been a key cog down the middle for the Florida Panthers ever since they selected him with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, the first-ever pick under then recently hired general manager Bill Zito.
And while his natural instincts on the defensive side of the puck were evident from Day 1, Maurice believes what Lundell showed during last summer’s run to a second straight Cup hints there’s potential for his offense to catch up to his defense in the coming seasons.
By way of what Maurice dubbed the “Brad Marchand Effect,” Lundell produced 18 points (6G, 12) in 23 playoff games while leading the Panthers with a +19 plus/minus rating. As a whole, the line of Marchand, Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen led 13-4 in goals at 5-on-5.
With that dynamic third line possibly remaining intact to start this upcoming season after Marchand inked an extension in July, Lundell has the chance to pick up where he left off.
“What they were able to do with him (Marchand), they were able to show what they could do defensively, but there was also an offensive side,” Maurice said. “That would be the area of growth. It can’t come at the expense of any of the other things he (Lundell) has built, and we’ll be watching that. But as we’ve said, we think there’s more offense there.”
Over his first four seasons with the Panthers, Lundell’s growth has been as steady as it has been impressive.
Breaking into the NHL in 2021-22, he's amassed 157 points (60G, 97A) in 295 regular-season games, while also logging 46 points (12G, 34A) in 77 postseason games.
Taking another step forward during the 2024-25 campaign, the Espoo Finland native saw new career-high point totals in both the regular season (45 points) and playoffs (18 points).
Cast into the fire early in his career, he’s heated up instead of getting burned.
In Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers in June, Lundell became only the fourth player in NHL history to appear in 75 postseason games before turning 24.
“I want to prove I can take the next step,” Lundell said of his goals for 2025-26. “With that, it’s working on my details, trying to get better every day. At the same time, be a little bit better at everything during the game, try to be even more productive, help the team out that way as well. I don’t want to lose anything from my game, but I also want to add things.”
Like Maurice, Lundell also credits Marchand with giving him a boost.
“He brought a lot,” Lundell said. “He brought a lot to us and brought a lot to the team. We all saw what happened on the ice, but he was a big leader off the ice and in the locker room as well. You can see why he’s been a captain before. His personality, he’s a leader. I think he was able to help me and Luosty a lot, but I’m sure he helped everybody on our team.”
While nobody knows exactly what Lundell will look like in a few seasons, it’s safe to say that everyone is excited to find out.
“[I want to] try to grow and be an even bigger piece of the team,” Lundell said.
