Panthers give Anton Lundell latest long-term contract, signing center to six-year deal

Another member of the Florida Panthers’ core is signed long-term.

The Panthers on Wednesday announced they signed center Anton Lundell to a six-year, $30 million deal, putting the 22-year-old center under contract through the 2029-2030 season.

“Anton has matured into a dependable multirole center for our club, who seized his opportunity from his first day in North America,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said in a press release announcing the contract. “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.”

With Lundell’s deal official, the Panthers are returning their top eight forwards from last season’s Stanley Cup champion team.

Even more, four of those eight are under contract through at least the 2029-2030 season. Forward Sam Reinhart is under contract through the 2031-32 season after signing an eight-year contract extension on Sunday. Captain Aleksander Barkov and star winger Matthew Tkachuk, like Lundell, are under contract through the 2029-30 season.

Defenseman Gustav Forsling is also under contract through the 2031-32 season.

As for the other four: Eetu Luostarinen and Evan Rodrigues are both signed through the 2026-27 season, while Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett have one year left on each of their contracts.

Lundell, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has been a mainstay in Florida’s lineup over the past three seasons. He has primarily centered Florida’s third line but has shown the capability of handling top roles when needed.

In 216 career games, Lundell has totaled 112 points (43 goals, 69 assists) and has 28 career points (six goals, 22 assists) in 54 playoff games.

But Lundell’s game goes beyond the offense. He’s a budding two-way star, strong defensively and mature beyond his years in being able to maximize the talent of his wingers by adjusting his game to the strength of his linemates.

He’s already battle-tested in the playoffs for a player his age and came up with big moments during Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup.

He had the primary assist on Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime goal in Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, working his way past a swarm of defenders in the slot to set up the game-winner. Lundell moved up to second-line center midway through that game after Sam Bennett exited with a hand injury that sidelined him for the rest of the Lightning series and the first two games of Round 2 against the Boston Bruins.

“Lundy might have had four guys on him,” Verhaeghe said then, “and he made the play.”

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He had the game-tying goal and the assist on the game-winner in Florida’s series-clinching win over the Bruins in Round 2. The goal came when a blocked shot landed on his stick in the second period and he wasted no time firing a snap shot past Jeremy Swayman.

Gustav Forsling scored the game-winning goal late in the third period by collecting a Lundell rebound and burying it short-side.

“It’s an inner confidence about him,” Florida forward Evan Rodrigues said. “He believes in himself and he wants to be a difference maker. For a young kid, it’s easy to have the opposite and shy away from the big moment but I think he’s got a little bit of that internal swagger that he just wants to get the job done and he likes the challenge. He’s the guy that likes to match up against the other team’s top centermen because it brings out his best game. He likes the big moment.”

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And in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final against the New York Rangers, Lundell scored the go-ahead goal with 9:38 left in regulation, beating Igor Shesterkin with a strong wrist shot from the left circle while Vladimir Tarasenko drove to the net, to give the Panthers a 3-2 series lead before eventually making their way to the Stanley Cup Final.

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Of Lundell’s 17 points this playoffs, 11 came on either game-tying, game-winning or go-ahead goals.

“I have absolutely no idea how good he can be,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said during the playoffs, “but we’re gonna find out.”

The Panthers now have plenty of time to find out just how good Lundell will become.