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August 20, 2023
Florida panthers
Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) during Game 2 in the first round of the NHL hockey playoffs, Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Florida Panthers had a number of players take a big step forward last season but few with the impact of versatile forward Eetu Luostarinen.

If anyone doubted how much Luostarinen meant to the Panthers last season figured it out pretty quickly when he suddenly was not available in the playoffs.

A blocked shot in the second period of Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes ended up ending Luostarinen’s season; he was unavailable for the Stanley Cup Final and his absence was most certainly felt.


Although the Panthers did not lose to the Vegas Golden Knights because Luostarinen could not play — that certainly did not help things.

Throughout the season, Luostarinen had become Paul Maurice’s go-to when it came to fixing lines which were not working or to replace players who were hurt or not producing.

Wherever Luostarinen went, things seemingly got better.

Without him, the Panthers struggled.

Who would have thought that Luostarinen would become the biggest return in the 2020 Vincent Trocheck trade?

“He runs the penalty kill, I can run him up and down the lineup and he’s a natural center iceman,’’ Maurice said before Florida played host to the Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Final.

“We lost Sasha Barkov 3 minutes into Game 3 against Carolina, Luostarinen went in that hole and won the game.

“He is an important part of our penalty killing unit and has real nice chemistry with Lundell and Reinhart. So if you watched our previous round in the last four or five minutes of those games, I would run that line and he’s on face-offs …

“So, we miss him.”

Luostarinen, who signed a three-year extension with the Panthers worth $3 million annually last month, is healthy now and ready for the start of training camp.

Where the Panthers start Luostarinen probably will not matter because as things creep up, he can be moved wherever he is needed.

Due to various injuries throughout the season, it was Luostarinen filling in whether it was for Sasha Barkov on the top line or for Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell.

Eetu Luostarinen: Now the Highlight of Trocheck Trade for Florida Panthers

When Luostarinen went down, he was playing on the left side of Lundell and Sam Reinhart.

“What you need eventually is for the center to carry the line, and he is a young player who is able to carry a line now,” Maurice said.

“I think we could put another young player with him and they’d still be very good, or you could put a more one-dimensional player with him, and he could still be very good, because he can carry the line defensively.”

Luostarinen ended up scoring 17 goals with 43 points in 82 games this past season but in the playoffs, he scored two big goals — including the game-winner in Game 6 against the Bruins.

“I have known him for quite a while and I have always known that he is a great player,”  Lundell said.

“I am really happy to see he’s able to get even more out of his game this season. He has been able to get to the next step for sure. Bringing more up-front, his skill, his hands and today it felt great playing with him. We had some good chances and everybody saw that goal.

“It was a good shot by him.”

While everyone knows the kind of influence Barkov has on Lundell, do not discount what Barkov and Luostarinen have going.

The two sit next to each other in the locker room and Anthony Duclair said he noticed many of Barkov’s good habits rubbing off on No. 27.

“You are starting to see it now,” Duclair said before the playoffs started.

”He is becoming a very reliable center where he has played in all situations of a game and he has become a huge part of this team. Guys go down with injuries and he always finds a way to step up so that’s a big credit to him.”

FLORIDA PANTHERS ON DECK

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