George Richards, FHN Publisher
Since arriving on the scene in 2021, all Anton Lundell has known as a member of the Florida Panthers is winning.
The Panthers won the NHL Presidents’ Trophy when he was a rookie during the 2021-22 season.
In 2023, Florida went to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996.
The Panthers won the next two Cup championships.
Few players in the NHL have had a first four years like Lundell has.
But now, the season has long been over. The Panthers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019 — a year before Lundell was drafted by Bill Zito — and a long summer awaits.
Lundell has joined captain Sasha Barkov on Team Finland for the IIHF World Championship, but those games will be done in a matter of weeks.
Then, summer continues.
It’s a long break the Panthers are not used to.
Lundell especially.
”We all love to play, so obviously we want to be in a different situation,’’ Lundell said last month. “Even if we had long seasons over the past three years, you always want to play more. But you have to look at where we are and focus on the future. That’s what I am going to do.’’
This past season was an odd one for the Panthers — and one in which more weight was thrown onto Lundell’s back.
When Barkov got hurt in training camp, that meant a bigger responsibility for the young center who has been compared to Barkov for a long, long time.
“I think, for me, it was a huge season,’’ said Lundell, who was part of Finland’s Olympic team. “I learned a lot. I was able to step up, be one of the guys they relied on every single night. And I am always ready for more responsibility, ready to take that. I tried to do my best every night, and, to be honest, I had high expectations for myself.’’
Lundell ended up being one of the large number of Florida players on the shelf in the final weeks of the season, missing almost the last month of the season.
He got hurt in Florida’s 4-0 win at Edmonton on April 19, taking a shot to the side that injured his rib cage. Although Lundell did not sustain a broken rib, the concern was that another hit to that area would do some damage.
Lundell returned to practice in the final days but did not play.
Even though he missed the final month, he still tied career marks for goals (18) and points (44).
“I was very close to coming back for those last games,’’ Lundell said, “but unfortunately, I wasn’t fully healthy and could not play. It was feeling better all the time, and was going in the right direction.’’
Had the Panthers made the playoffs, Lundell would have been back.
He never misses them.
ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS OFFSEASON
- IIHF World Championship, Switzerland: May 15-31
- NHL Draft (9th in First Round, Seven Overall): June 26-27; KeyBank Center, Buffalo
- NHL Free Agency: Opens July 1
- Panthers Development Camp: Late June/Early July; IcePlex, Fort Lauderdale
- Panthers Rookie Camp/Tournament: Late August/Early Sept.; Site TBA
- Panthers Training Camp: Early/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale
- 2026-27 NHL Season Opens: Late September; Site, Opponent TBA