‘He’s not a kid anymore’: Anton Lundell rises to the occasion when Panthers need him

Anton Lundell has been in this situation before. When the Florida Panthers are without top players for whatever reason it might be, Paul Maurice tabs the 23-year-old center to step up and fill the void.

Lundell, a youngster in age but not in NHL experience, has embraced that challenge each time it has been presented to him.

He is already being thrust into that role again early in this Panthers season that follows the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship with two of the team’s stars sidelined.

And he’s thriving.

As the Panthers prepare to play their fifth consecutive game without captain Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and star winger Matthew Tkachuk (illness) on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights, it has been Lundell who has carried most of Florida’s scoring prowess in their absence.

Lundell, who signed a six-year, $30 million contract extension this offseason, enters the game against the Golden Knights with four goals — all of which have come in Florida’s past three games — and six total points. When Lundell is on the ice at five-on-five, the Panthers are outscoring opponents 4-2, outshooting them 41-34 and have a 32-21 edge in scoring chances (including 15-9 in high-danger chances).

He is also an integral part of the Panthers’ power play (typically on the second unit but bumped up to the first in the absence of Barkov and Tkachuk) and penalty kill (part of the top forward pairing with Eetu Luostarinen).

“He’s a powerful man,” Maurice said. “He’s not a kid anymore. He can drive and he can shoot the puck. He’s not deferring to anyone, and nobody wants him to. We all view Lundy as a veteran player now, and he’s starting to see himself as that.”

The word “veteran” usually doesn’t get attached to a 23-year-old who is in the beginning of his fourth NHL season.

But Lundell’s resume is extensive compared to most 23-year-old players. He has already played in 222 regular-season games and 54 playoff games. He has proven himself to be a talented two-way forward who has a knack for adjusting his game to whoever he is playing with to best suit their strengths.

And his offense is starting to pick up.

He closed the 2023-24 regular season with nine goals and 17 total points in his final 30 games and carried that late-season success into the playoffs. In Florida’s 24-game run to winning the Stanley Cup, Lundell logged 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) to go along with 44 hits and winning 52.3 percent of his faceoffs. The 14 assists were second only to Tkachuk (16).

“You guys have had a front-row seat since the start of the playoffs last year,” forward Sam Reinhart said. “He’s just elevated his intensity, his compete level. He’s coming out with the puck almost every time. It’s easy to forget with the big situations he’s been put in his career that he’s still so young. To see him kind of learn and adapt that quick is pretty incredible.”

And now that success has continued at the start of this season.

Lundell’s four goals this season are tied with Reinhart for the team lead. His six points trail only Reinhart, who has nine.

For some perspective: It took Lundell until his 43rd game last season to score his fourth goal.

“It’s always fun to score,” Lundell said. “I’m just trying to do my best. I know we have a couple guys away, so I’m just trying to step up and be a guy and try to be a leader.”

He has had to do that before. Maurice has had no qualms moving Lundell up to Florida’s top line from his customary spot on the third line whenever Barkov has missed time. Nor did the coach have a problem with using Lundell to fill in for Sam Bennett on the second line when Bennett missed five games over the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a hand injury.

There’s a trust factor there between him and Maurice, one that comes from him playing well beyond his years.

“It’s mostly on how you can treat them. I like to think of treat all players with respect, but you’re more careful in your tone and how hard you go after a guy until they get to that veteran status where they understand it. I’m really comfortably being direct with Lundy, and he would rebound and everything would be fine the next day. He’s a respected pro here now. .... Just made huge strides. He’s just a full on NHL player.”