George Richards, FHN Publisher
From now until the start of training camp on Thursday morning, Florida Hockey Now will profile players who will play a key role for the 2022-23 Florida Panthers.
Today’s Player: Center Anton Lundell.
What Happened Last Year: Anton Lundell had a terrific rookie season for the Panthers, making an impact from the start. Three games into his NHL career and he not only had his first goal, but his first multi-point game in a rousing win over the Lightning.
Florida had Lundell center a third line for much of the season with Sam Reinhart and Mason Marchment, a line which obviously will change moving forward.
With those three, Lundell ended with 18 goals and 44 points despite missing 17 games either due to injury or being out with Covid.
Despite missing that time, Lundell certainly had a big impact on the Panthers and is a player to watch moving forward.
In January, he scored 17 points in 15 games and was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month.
What to Look For at Camp: The biggest thing is to see where new coach Paul Maurice places him in the lineup. The Panthers are set on the top line with captain Sasha Barkov at center and Sam Bennett returns after a very strong run centering the second line.
But could Lundell and Reinhart slide up and be the second forward line — perhaps with Colin White or Rudolfs Balcers?
Regardless of who runs what we call the second line, it will also be interesting to see if Lundell gets expanded time on the top power play unit. We are pretty certain he and Barkov will pair up for penalty killing as those two seem to be a natural together when it comes to that.
Questions To Be Answered This Season: Regardless of where Lundell starts the season certainly does not mean he will end it there.
He will hit his 21st birthday just before the games start to count for real and we think his sophomore year will be a big jump from what we saw last year.
In Their Words: ”When I came here, I didn’t expect very much,” Lundell said. “I had just one goal and that was to get a spot on the roster. I didn’t think this season would go as well. It was a great season for me and for the team too. …
“Now, that the first year is over, I want to improve my game all over. I need to get mentally stronger, get faster and try to get better in small things in my game. I want to improve myself every day. I have things to work on this summer and come back better.
“I think (last season) is going to help a lot. I am more prepared for next season, knowing what to expect. It’s not going to be easy, but I will try and work on my game and improve in the summer, come back with good energy and have fun next season too.’’
Overall Outlook: The Panthers have had high hopes for Lundell from the night they drafted him — and his play last season certainly has not tempered that any.
While we don’t know exactly where he will be playing in the lineup when the season starts, it is safe to say Lundell is only going up.
Lundell came within two goals of being a 20-goal player in his first season and had he not missed 17 games, it is safe to say he would have gone far over that mark.
Can he be a 30-goal scorer in the NHL?
Why not?
FHN COUNTDOWN TO CAMP
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