The Florida Panthers are confident they have found the right group of players to build sustained success. Following their first Stanley Cup triumph, the Panthers continue to secure the futures of several key players. The biggest domino was re-signing Sam Reinhart, but Florida also extended the contract of budding forward Anton Lundell.
The Panthers announced Wednesday they've agreed to terms on a six-year contract extension with Lundell. It keeps the 22-year-old center with the franchise through the 2029-30 season. The contract has an average annual value of $5 million.
Panthers general manager Bill Zito spoke glowingly about Lundell following the announcement.
“Anton has matured into a dependable multirole center for our club, who seized his opportunity from his first day in North America,” Zito said. “His commitment to improvement and cerebral approach to the game earned him the profound respect of his teammates and coaches, and we are excited to see him continue to grow and succeed with the Panthers.”
Lundell played in 78 games last season, producing 35 points on 13 goals and 22 assists. He averaged 37 points per season through the first three of his NHL career, scoring 43 goals in 219 games.
Lundell proved his worth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, providing key contributions that helped lead the Panthers to a championship. He recorded 17 points in 24 playoff games, including five during the finals.
The Finnish forward is seen as a valuable piece to the Panthers' successful puzzle and Florida rewarded his services with a great payday across six seasons. Florida has to be itching to see what sort of player Anton Lundell becomes as he progresses through this new contract.
Panthers stay busy as free agency opens
Dozens of signings kicked off the first day of NHL free agency on Monday. The Panthers were as busy as any other team, signing six players on the first day of the official signing period.
The most significant move was the retainment of Sam Reinhart, who is sticking in Florida with a new eight-year deal. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov also inked a long-term deal while the Panthers signed four others to short-term contracts, including goalie Chris Dreider.
The Panthers are taking an “if it's not broke, why fix it” method into the offseason and why not given their recent success? Not only did they win the Cup this year, they reached the finals last season and made the playoffs in five consecutive seasons.
During that span, the Panthers earned the fifth most points of any NHL team and scored the most goals with 1,318. Florida won the President's Trophy in 2022 which can be looked at as the beginning of this run. Although they only reached the second round that year, the Panthers followed that with consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
Keeping the core together that won a championship is usually a good idea. If Bill Zito and the Panthers can continue to pick the right complementary pieces to their core players, they'll be in great shape for the next few seasons.
Four NHL teams have won multiple championships since 2010. Can the Panthers be the next one to join that list? If the team can mesh together the way it has over the last few seasons, Florida should be among the championship contenders again next season.
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