The Florida Panthers are off to a relatively rocky, if unsurprising start to the 2023-24 National Hockey League campaign. Through one week and three games, the Cats are 1-2 with a -3 goal differential and just eight goals for. They opened the season being shutout by Filip Gustavsson and the Minnesota Wild, and followed it up with another loss to the Winnipeg Jets two days later. Not to be 0-3, Florida opened up a 4-0 lead on the New Jersey Devils on Monday night and hung on to get their first win since Game 3 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.
Although it's been a less than ideal start, there have been some bright spots. Matthew Tkachuk, Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart are all scoring at a point-per-game pace or above, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson looks rejuvenated on the back end, playing upwards of 25 minutes per game in the early going. But it's been a new addition who has surprised the most, and has serious breakout potential this season.
Evan Rodrigues enjoying expanded role
Evan Rodrigues was never drafted to the NHL, but he was able to carve out a role with the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche over six seasons. The 30-year-old finally began producing offensively in Pennsylvania in 2020-21, scoring 19 goals and 43 points with Pens. He followed it up with 39 more points in 69 games with the Avs in 2022-23 after signing a one-year, $2 million contract with the then defending Stanley Cup champions.
Following his successful lone season in Denver, Rodrigues left as a free agent and signed a four-year, $12 million contract with the Panthers back on Jul. 2. And it's been an excellent start to the season for the former Boston University Terrier. Rodrigues has immediately been thrown into the fire, playing on the first line with Barkov and Reinhart and the first powerplay unit. Those are spots he simply didn't have the luxury of being involved with when he was with the Avalanche, mainly due to their offensive firepower.
And with the expanded role, Rodrigues has gotten off to a better start than any other Panthers player. He's scored five points in three games, including a four-point eruption against the Jets in which he burst onto the South Florida scene with two goals and two assists. Rodrigues had never scored more than three points in a game before, not even when he was skating on Sidney Crosby's wing. Although Rodrigues has never eclipsed 43 points in a career, he has a glowing opportunity to truly break out with his new team in 2023-24.
Anton Lundell ready to shine
Another player expected to take a big step forward this year is 22-year-old Anton Lundell. Lundell had an exceptional rookie campaign in Florida, scoring 18 goals and 44 points in 65 games in 2022-23. He was less effective last season, scoring 33 in 73, but he turned on his game during the Cats' scintillating Stanley Cup Final run. He scored 10 points in 21 contests, but was excellent at both ends of the rink, helping his team come within three wins of a championship.
The former No. 12 overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft has been lining up with Nick Cousins and rookie Justin Sourdif in his third NHL season, but head coach Paul Maurice has constantly been tweaking the lines in the early going. He is also playing on the second powerplay unit, a spot that hasn't been guaranteed for him in the first two seasons of his big league career. Lundell is lining up with Gustav Forsling, Carter Verhaeghe, Kevin Stenlund and Eetu Luostarinen for the time being, which could lead to increased offensive totals this season.
Florida is deep at the center position, and once Sam Bennett returns from injury, Lundell will likely be manning 3C for the entire campaign. But he's continuing to grow in both strength and size, and his game should be on an upwards trajectory in his second season with coach Maurice. That could translate to a breakout season for the young Finn in 2023-24.
That being said, it's been a discouraging start for the 6-foot-1 forward; he's been held pointless through three contests while averaging just 13:51 minutes of time on ice. That's certainly not ideal, but it's a long season. The hope is that both Anton Lundell and the Florida Panthers can get going starting against the Toronto Maple Leafs at home on Thursday night.
Both Evan Rodrigues and Anton Lundell have legitimate breakout potential this season, although one player is off to a much better start than the other. Still, if the two forwards can string together big seasons, it would go a long way in helping this team stay afloat while waiting for the reinforcements of Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad.
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